Plans to replace Rome’s moody yellow sodium lamps with eco-efficient LEDs which emit bright white light will destroy the Eternal City’s romantic ambience. Such is the claim of locals and heritage groups who are mounting spirited opposition to the scheme.

Rome’s City Council claim millions of pounds in savings will be made under the scheme, approved in 2015, which will see historic piazza’s and cobbled streets alike bathed in bright light. Eventually, 185,000 lamps and street lights are to be replaced at a cost of some £40 million, which it is claimed will result in a saving of some £22 million per year.

The new lights are already being installed in historic Trastavere, and many who live and work there are deeply unimpressed. A local residents’ group is urging silent protest by placing a candle in windows, and local politician Nathalie Naim who is leading the opposition has said that “Rome’s historic centre now resembles a morgue”

Sources:

1. Telegraph:
   Romance of Rome under assault from ugly LED lighting, campaigners say.

2. Reuters:
   Rome turns to cost-saving LED lighting but some residents unhappy.