Italy Officially Halts McDonald’s Location Opening At Ancient Roman Bath Site

Following a long-drawn-out dispute, Italy’s highest administrative court has officially halted the construction of a McDonald’s drive-thru restaurant next to the ancient Roman baths of Caracalla. The city center is a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Baths of Caracalla are believed to have been built from the years 212 to 216, and were named after Emperor Caracalla of the time, as per The Art Newspaper. The towering structure was adorned with marbles and mosaics, and could have been visited by between 6,000 to 8,000 people daily.

It appears that the restaurant chain had planned to build a 250-seat restaurant and parking lot on land adjacent to the baths. Rome’s city council initially green-lighted the project, but withdrew the decision several months later after it sparked major public outrage. 

At the time, ground had already been broken at the site, leading McDonald’s to appeal the decision, which was later rejected by the Lazio Regional Administrative Court in 2020, as per Wanted in Rome.  

According to Smithsonian Magazine, the most recent court ruling upheld the earlier ban by the regional court, citing the “importance of protecting cultural heritage” as the reason for disallowing the fast-food chain from setting up another of its numerous outlets. 

This ruling is expected to serve as a precedent for the authorities to stop projects involving heritage sites in the future, including the “safeguarding of areas or real estate that have not yet been declared to be of cultural or landscape interest.”

“This clarification is extremely important for the future protection of our cultural and archaeological patrimony,” said Italia Nostra, a heritage protection organization.

[via Smithsonian Magazine and The Art Newspaper, cover image via Scaliger | Dreamstime.com]