Rome’s Christmas tree has been branded a ‘disgrace’ by residents, who claim it is just another sign of the city’s decline.
Citizens of the ancient city are appalled about tree, which has been dubbed ‘Spelacchio’, which is roughly translated as mangy or baldy.
The tree is also said to be a symbol of what many Romans see as the eternal city’s eternal decay, which has seen the streets plagued by potholes, piles of rubbish and weeds growing as tall as people in recent years.
One resident said: ‘It’s a disgrace. It hurts even to look at this Christmas tree,’ and used an Italian term suggesting it looked like a plucked chicken.
‘How can they have put it in Rome, a capital city like Rome,’ said the woman, who declined to give her name.
The Rome’s official Christmas tree stands in front of the Unknown Soldier monument in Piazza Venezia Square
The Pope himself has even harped in on the debate while others have likened the flimsy Christmas tree to a toilet brush. Romans on social media have blamed Mayor Virginia Raggi, a high-profile politician in the anti-establishment 5-Star movement.
Raggi has tried to shrug off the criticism, saying the tree is simply decorated in a ‘simple and refined’ fashion.
The 65 foot tree is expected to stay in the city, with consumers group Condacons adding: ‘It is clearly dead and it represents a shameful spectacle for citizens and tourists.
The group has called for an investigation into why near €50,000 was spent to transport the sickly tree from to Rome from a forest near the Austrian border 430 miles away.
‘The one at the Vatican is much better. They should swap them,’ said Francois Mallet, a tourist from France.
Romans also pointed to the delightful Christmas tree which had been put up in the city of Milan as yet another sign of how Italy’s financial capital had overtaken their city in terms of wealth and prestige.
The saga of ‘Spelacchio’ has taken off on social media, with its own hashtag and handle on Twitter.
‘Farewell @spelacchio,’ tweeted Duccio Zanaboni. ‘It was nice while it lasted. It’s a shame it didn’t last long. RIP’
Despite the tree’s 600 silver-colored decorative balls, the half-bare branches lend the square a forlorn rather than festive look and critics note that across town, the Vatican’s Christmas tree, from Poland, looks healthy
This combo picture taken Tuesday Dec.19, 2017 shows at left Rome’s official Christmas tree placed in Piazza Venezia Square and at right the one placed in St. Peters’s Square at the Vatican