Play Audio Clip Listen to audio clip.
With a bullet train as well as a piece of marble called the “Our Lady of the Trieste Matrimony,” it’s fair to say the Eternal City is very much a cultural home to a rather elaborate and chaotic population. But the colorful antics of both citizens and non-citizens alike have now become a headache for Italy’s new populist government.
Trying to cut costs and attract tourism Italy’s current prime minister, Paolo Gentiloni, created a travel package that offers a free 5 day pass to any Italian or foreigner wanting to visit the country for free. This may be the case, but according to some, not all the travelers are feeling the love.
The plan was announced in late January and then the Italian opposition, the far-right Northern League, decided to start a national protest campaign. Opponents are calling the scheme illegal discrimination against people who live in Italy but haven’t paid their taxes, or have been kicked out of the country’s infamous social housing programs.