Wonderful Snowfall in Rome, 1985

In 1985 when a snowfall blocked the city starting from the day of January 6 when the Romans woke up and opening the windows discovered a Rome covered by 20 cm of snow. The city was completely hidden under a soft white blanket starting from the central districts of the city, from the Colosseum to the dome of St. Peter’s, from Spanish Steps to Navona Square up to the most peripheral districts.

Schools and shops remained closed, while Romans and tourists went out to walk the streets and squares enchanted by snow, transforming the Eternal City into a winter carnival. Everyone was smiling and joking, even the late workers. The children, who had never seen snow, were fascinated, and their parents were no less.

Young and old with the toboggan around the Colosseum and a sort of cross-country skiing was practiced along Via Condotti. So many snowball battles in the Spanish Steps, as in the whole city. At the Trevi Fountain, where tourists usually throw coins for good luck, snowballs were thrown that day.

For a few hours, that wonderful snowfall made everything magical, candid and as if suspended in time.