Not only the Colosseum, the Imperial Forum and the Trevi Fountain: Rome, the eternal city, is also the acrid, sweet smell of roasted chestnuts that wafts through the alleys of the historic center as soon as the temperatures begin to drop. A ritual that has been repeated identical to itself for centuries: already in the Naturalis Historia Pliny the Elder told of this fruit. But even the most deeply rooted traditions must come to terms with modernity. And with the ecological transition.
Rome’s City Hall I approved the new Public Area Trade Plan in 2025, marking the beginning of a new era for the capital’s historic hawkers. And the time has come to say goodbye to rusty braziers, flying wires and plastic decorations, and to welcome, at long last, boilermakers 2.0.
Ancient design, new energy
The focus of the change lies in the marriage of historic aesthetics and clean technology: the new stalls are designed to harmonize with urban decor, but conceal a technological soul. And each station will be limited to one square meter of floor space, a perimeter of order that puts a stop to the chaos of impromptu banquets. So, new technical specifications draw a very clear outline for future stations: the heart of the business will be a strictly black wrought-iron stove with a diameter of 60 centimeters, flanked by a matching box 35 centimeters on each side, intended to house the straw paper and bags of chestnuts. But the real breakthrough lies in the final farewell to external electrical connections, replaced by small integrated solar panels that will independently provide the energy needed for lighting and operation of the station.
A choice, in short, that is not just aesthetic: eliminating “swinging wires” means increasing road safety and reducing the visual impact on often priceless historic facades. And it is proof that sustainability also comes through small innovations.
Street food is tinged with green
Rome’s, however (and fortunately) is not an isolated voice. The phenomenon of sustainable street food is a clear trend: the modern consumer, especially the conscious tourist, is not just looking for flavor, but wants to know how much their snack is weighing on the Planet. For example, even in Milan, some kiosks are pushing toward structures made of recycled materials and mandatory separate disposal of organic waste. Or again, in Florence, many historic food trucks are replacing old, noisy and polluting diesel generators with recyclable lithium batteries and fume filtration systems to reduce CO₂ emissions in historic centers.
Moving to Europe, the model of reference remains the North. In Copenhagen, the famous hot dog carts, known as pølsevogne, are now almost all equipped with eco-friendly heating systems. Notably, in cities such as Amsterdam and Berlin, street food has become a laboratory of circular building: the containers used for urban food markets are often reclaimed maritime modules, insulated with sheep wool or hemp, and powered entirely by renewable sources.
Change the future, not the taste
Why is this change critical? Street food, by its nature, is a high-impact potential activity: it produces a lot of plastic waste, emits street-level combustion fumes, and consumes energy in a fragmented way. While the transition to innovative, environmentally friendly facilities is a key piece in the decarbonization of urban services.
By going solar, using durable materials and paying attention to decorum, these two paths can be realigned. In short, very little is needed, and without detracting from the rustic street food experience. Rome, with its decision, has shown us: you don’t have to erase the past to save the future.
