Roman sampietrini are moving

Sampietrini on Roman streets - time to remove?

Sampietrini is the typical kind of pavement found in Rome and several other cities in Italy. It is made of beveled stones of black basalt ("sampietrini"), placed one next to the other. The earliest examples were made by trimming large blocks that had been used in ancient Roman roads, discovered during fifteenth- and sixteenth-century archaeological excavations. The first documented use in Rome of "sampietrini" stones was during the reign of Pope Pius V (1566-72).

The name sampietrini, (also known as sanpietrini) comes from the name of the maintenance workers who used to take care of Saint Peter’s basilica’s furnishing and decorations. The Vatican artisans and tradesmen were known as ‘sampietrini’ (or sanpietrini), little Saint Peters, the children of Saint Peter, who would look after his church and his legacy. They employed the services of the selciaroli, the ancient guild of stonecutters to cover Piazza San Pietro with cobblestones. The stones, like the caretakers of the church, were known as “sampietrini”, the children of St Peter. The name stuck. Over the next two centuries, the stones were used to pave all the main streets of Rome, because this mode was superior to brick, for example by providing a stronger surface for carriages, among other reasons.

Sampietrini are common in Rome also because they adapt perfectly to the ground’s shape and, being of solid volcanic rock, can withstand heavy loads of traffic. However, the stones don't absorb as much reverberation as asphalt, aggravating the structural risks to nearby buildings – not to mention the noise pollution – when heavy vehicles drive over them. The bone-rattling vibrations are thought to be among the reasons why some Roman buses spontaneously burst into flames, since all that jiggling is liable to shake wires loose and start sparks. Roman drivers have a love-hate relationship with the basalt cobblestones, which, although characteristic of the city, are dangerous for motorini - particularly in the rain - as well as being bumpy to drive over in cars and buses.

A pile of sampietrini 

So now, Rome mayor Virginia Raggi has announced that Rome's traditional cobblestones or sampietrini are to disappear from 68 streets in the center, including several thoroughfares with heavy traffic, as part of a program of major infrastructure works this year. In the case of Via IV Novembre the sampietrini in the central part of the road will be replaced by asphalt, a "surface more suitable for the transit of scooters, bicycles and public transport", with the cobblestones left at the sides of the roadway as "historical evidence." Roadworks are also set to be carried out in Piazza Venezia, where the sampietrini will be retained, reports Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

The roads that will lose their cobbles include Via Nazionale, which runs between Piazza della Repubblica near Termini train station to Piazza Venezia, and Viale Aventino, the wide boulevard that passes by the Circo Massimo and Food and Agriculture Organization headquarters. The sampietrini removed will be laid in 113 pedestrian streets such as Via dei Condotti and Via del Corso, both busy shopping streets near the Spanish Steps.

The city is practically deserted in terms of traffic, which in theory will favor the program of roadworks however, it is unclear whether the coronavirus will affect the time-line of the scheduled works.

The idea of getting rid of Rome's sampietrini isn't new: in 2005 the then mayor declared that the stones, a trademark of the city since the 16th century, would be phased out everywhere except pedestrian-only streets, though the roadworks required proved slow to emerge. Authorities have long complained that the blocks are too expensive to maintain and replace, while the serciaroli specialized in laying them are ever harder to find.

Rome's Piazza Navona, one of the most beautiful squares in the city, is slowly turning green due to the lack of foot traffic from tourists and Romans during the coronavirus quarantine.

Rome newspaper Il Messaggero has published photographs, by Daniele Leone, showing grass growing in between the sampietrini cobblestones in the piazza, as the capital enters the fourth week of lockdown.