Rome's famed 'botticelle'
horse-drawn tourist carriages are to move from the streets of
the Italian capital to its villas' parks under a measure passed
by the environmental committee on Tuesday.
The move is set to be put to final approval by the mobility
committee "within the fist few days of October", sources said.
"Among the key aims of the measure is to avoid all suffering
to the horses, taking the botticelle activities to more suitable
locations like parks and historic villas," said the head of the
Rome environmental committee, Daniele Diaco of the ruling
anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S).
It will also be possible for drivers to switch jobs and apply
for taxi licenses, he said.
Since no new botticelle licenses will be issued, the
carriages may disappear if all 32 drivers apply to become taxi
drivers.
Animal rights groups have long complained that the horses are
subject to too much stress and strain on Rome's hot cobbled
streets.
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