Rome’s municipal council has warned that sprawling colonies of the vermin have sprung up near the Vatican, which has engulfed the tiny state for over a year. One video shows a stream of rats crossing a tiny alley – a total of 24 rats bound across in just 17 seconds. The man behind the camera is visibly astounded, exclaiming: “Oh my God. There’s twenty of them.”
His companion yelps: “Oh God, how many are they?”
The man filming says: “Enough, let’s go, they’ll eat us.”
The video was filmed on Via della Meloria, near St Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museums – right in the heart of Rome.
The Barberini cinema in Rome had to be evacuated and closed this week when a number of dead rats were found inside by school children on an outing.
A rat was also spotted in Federico Caffè school in Fonteiana earlier this month.
Codacons consumer advocacy group president Carlo Rienzi told Radio Colonna: “In Rome the rats no longer only frequent garbage bins, but they invade public places like cinemas, demonstrating that the situation in the city is degenerating.”
Mr Rienzi added: “It is unthinkable that an entire colony of mice can run undisturbed on roads and sidewalks, putting at risk the health of citizens and offering a painful sight in the eyes of tourists.”
In October last year, thousands of people took to the streets of Rome to protest at the Italian capital’s run-down state.
Demonstrators gathered outside the city hall to denounce Mayor Virginia Raggi for failing to tackle issues including uncollected rubbish and potholed roads.
Ms Raggi took control of Rome in 2016 for the Five Star Movement (M5S), which formed a national coalition government earlier in 2018.
Other problems that the city faces include wild boar roaming the streets and poor transport services – some 20 buses reportedly caught fire last year alone.