Paolo Conti's 'Il Caso Roma' Diagnoses Rome's Post-Jubilee Crisis

Journalist Paolo Conti's new book 'Il Caso Roma' (Castelvecchi, 160 pp., preface by Ernesto Galli della Loggia) examines Rome's condition in 2025 after the Jubilee, Pope Francis's death, Conclave, and election of Pope Leo XIV. Conti argues the city managed these events but remains crippled by bureaucracy, lack of international appeal (lost Expo 2030 to Riyadh and Busan), inadequate metro compared to Paris, London, Berlin, and a taxi lobby blocking reform. He criticizes the Gualtieri administration's 'Grandi Eventi' policy for turning the historic center into a theme park, with private concerts at Circus Maximus and proliferation of tourist-oriented bars and restaurants. Conti praises Stefano Boeri's proposal to move ministries to EUR district but calls for drastic limits on short-term rentals and commercial licenses. He lauds the temporary mural project at Piazza Venezia on silos as positive public art, and notes contemporary landmarks like Fuksas's Nuvola, Zaha Hadid's MAXXI, Renzo Piano's Auditorium, and Meyer's Ara Pacis enclosure. He advocates for bureaucratic reform, improved public transport, and protection of historic center residents. The interview is conducted by Ludovico Pratesi.