Snow in Rome
Capital gets biggest sprinkling in 24 years
12 February, 12:11
(ANSA) - Rome, February 12 - Romans on Friday morning were
treated to the first significant snowfall in many years and
while this was to the delight of children and wonder of
tourists, it did create traffic problems and airport delays.The snow began around 8am but initially did not stick in the center of the capital. However, around 10.30 the snow intensified and soon accumulated on the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain and other monuments and tourist attractions.
"Rome looks like Vienna," remarked one tourist at the Spanish Steps.
After suffering delays because of the snow, flights in and out of Rome's second airport, Ciampino, were temporarily suspended due to poor visibility.
The civil protection department issued a warning to drivers, especially motorcyclists, to use caution.
The snow stopped around 11.30 and began to melt.
Mayor Gianni Alemanno said the snow did not create any major difficulties in the capital, except for some traffic jams and minor accidents.
The mayor himself had some problems getting to city hall and his car needed help getting up the Capitoline Hill. According to experts at the National Research Council (CNR), snow is very rare in Rome and usually does not last long.
"The fact that this is the first real snowfall in 24 years shows how rare it is and also how this is a particularly severe winter," a CNR expert observed.
The problem over the next 36 to 48 hours, the expert added, will be ice if temperatures remain low. Although it did snow in January 2005, 2004 and February 1999, the last major snowfall in the capital was on February 11, 1986, when Rome awoke under several centimeters of snow.
Snowfall was heavier outside the city and even the seaside town of Ostia received a blanket of snow. All of Italy is in the grips of a major storm system which has brought snow to both north and south while Sardinia was particularly hit hard, with Cagliari seeing its first snowfall since 1993.
Blizzard-like conditions were reported in parts of Calabria, while in other parts of the southern region heavy rain caused flooding and landslides.
