Report to the City, Gualtieri: “Rome has gone from great ugliness to a new international reputation.”

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Report to the City, Gualtieri: "Rome has gone from great ugliness to a new international reputation."

Rome has gone from “great ugliness” to “a new international reputation” and will be traffic-free in the future because “private car use will be a choice, not a necessity.” Thus, he promises to connect the city, that is, to reduce the physical and social distance between the center and the suburbs, while renewing his request to the government for greater funding for Rome’s functions as the capital. The mayor of Rome is a river of promises and visions, even beyond the term of his mandate, which expires at the end of 2026. Roberto Gualtieri, This evening, the city presented its fourth report at the Auditorium Parco della Musica. Among those present were the heads of the participating companies, the three local secretaries of CGIL, CISL, and UIL—Natale Di Cola, Rosita Pelecca, and Alberto Civica—the director of Confcommercio di Roma, Romolo Guasco; the president of Ance Roma Acer, Antonio Ciucci; the president of Unindustria, Giuseppe Biazzo; the presidents of the municipalities, city and municipal councilors and aldermen; representatives of the local and national Democratic Party, the Left Green Alliance, Italia Viva, and regional councilors.

The mayor announced that the workplace safety protocol has been extended to service contracts. He assured the opening of the two new Colosseo and Porta Metronia stations between December 8th and 15th, and the start of construction on the third and final section of Metro C in early 2026. The same tentative date is also expected for the waste-to-energy plant. For the AS Roma stadium, he clarified that the final design will be available by the end of November, and regarding the fate of the Teatro Valle, he stated that it will reopen in the fall. However, he asked the government to reschedule transfers to the capital. The evening began, however, with a fitting tribute to the worker who died in the collapse of the Torre dei Conti. Octav Stroici, 66, would have retired next year. “We wondered whether it would be appropriate to postpone this event, but we thought it was important not to squander the trust that Rome has built up thanks to so many workers. This tragedy and this fragile yet wonderful city of ours reminds us even more of our responsibilities,” the mayor then said, reassuring: “We will do everything possible to ensure that families and businesses can soon return to their homes and businesses.” There was also room for irony at the end of the speech, with Carlo Verdone and Daniele Silvestri at the forefront. The actor, in about ten days, on his 75th birthday, will be mayor for a day, the same initiative reserved for Alberto Sordi in 2002 when Francesco Rutelli was mayor. “I beg you, Carlo, not to pave the Tiber,” Gualtieri joked. “After what I saw today, there won’t be any need,” Verdone replied.

He promises Silvestri a jam session, with him playing the guitar, for the Festa della Musica on June 21st: “Daniele, thank you for being here. See you on stage for the jam session.” On the technical front, the mayor reiterates his call for the government to restructure transfers to the capital: “We’ve done a lot, but we could do much more if the crucial issue of the wholly insufficient transfers for Rome were finally resolved. We welcome the progress made on the reform for Rome Capital. However, we ask that this process be continued with adequate resources, an ordinary law, and a permanent collaboration table with the government, to consolidate the virtuous method tested in recent months. Strengthening the capital helps the entire country move forward.” Regarding flagship projects, for the waste-to-energy plant, “the authorization procedures are proceeding meticulously, and we expect to complete the single regional authorization measure by December, before moving on to the actual construction phase.” Meanwhile, for the AS Roma stadium, “we will have the final design by November, and it will be one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world.”

For the rest, many numbers are chasing each other, from hiring at the Capitoline Hill and in daycare centers, to the recovery of tax revenue and the strengthening of investments. In the background, however, throughout the long two-hour speech, the tragedy of a few days ago continues to echo: “I never wanted this collective moment to be marked by profound grief over the tragedy in which Octav Stroici lost his life,” the mayor said. “These were long hours of anguish, during which we followed the rescue operations minute by minute. I want to heartily thank the firefighters and rescuers. I also thank the Romanian ambassador present here. I hope that the cause and responsibilities will be clarified as soon as possible. It leaves a bitter taste,” he emphasized, “that we had to wait for the NRRP to implement an intervention that has been awaited since 2007. This makes us question the need to support maintenance and continue along the NRRP path.”