Rome will have a day dedicated to its river. The Rome City Council has approved the resolution establishing “Tiber Day,” promoted by Environment Councilor Sabrina Alfonsi, Culture Councilor Massimiliano Smeriglio, and Urban Planning Councilor Maurizio Veloccia. The resolution will become official once it passes before the City Council, which is set to debate the measure.
Objectives and Program
The goal is to highlight what the administration calls the capital’s “blue infrastructure”: to raise awareness of the river’s historical, cultural, and environmental heritage; to encourage citizen participation; and to provide a platform for associations and organizations that operate regularly along its banks. The calendar may include cultural and musical events, guided tours, environmental education workshops, sporting and boating events, river and riverbank cleanup days, activities with schools and universities, exhibitions, public meetings, and informational campaigns.
Alfonsi and Smeriglio: The River Takes Center Stage Again
“With the establishment of Tiber Day, the bond between the city and its river takes on a public form,” said Alfonsi, noting the riverside parks created to rebuild the relationship between citizens and the Tiber and the work on making the river safe for swimming, which in recent weeks has entered a more operational phase and will lead to the renaturalization of the waters. These initiatives complement the commitment of active citizens, demonstrating that the river “is no longer just a backdrop, but a living part of the city.”
For Smeriglio, the event—which originated as an environmental initiative—is also a cultural and social one. Every opportunity that brings Romans together to experience the river in harmony, she explained, helps “raise climate awareness, break down isolation through participation, and bring people together.”
Veloccia: Over 800 Projects for the Tiber
Veloccia emphasizes the symbolic value of this decision as well: “For too long, the Tiber has been viewed as a dividing line, almost a marginal presence in relation to the city.” The councilor highlights the work done to restore its role as a major natural, environmental, scenic, and urban infrastructure, capable of connecting neighborhoods, public spaces, and communities. In addition to numerous redevelopment projects, the City has approved the Tiber Strategic and Operational Plan, which encompasses more than 800 projects.
The Tiber Day Proposal
The idea for the event came from the Tevere Day APS association. President Alberto Acciari describes it as “an important milestone for the Tiber and for the entire community,” which has worked in recent years to restore the river’s central role in the life of Rome. Over the course of eight editions, together with more than two hundred associations, federations, and organizations—as well as tens of thousands of citizens—the initiative has demonstrated that the Tiber is alive. The hope is that more and more people will come to know and spend time by the river, seeing it as “a shared resource to be enjoyed while taking joint responsibility for it.”
