City votes to reduce advertising billboards

Rome has passed new legislation to reduce the amount and size of billboards that can be placed around the capital by advertisers.

The maximum size for the largest signs will be reduced from 4x3m to 3x2m while no billboards will be allowed in the vicinity of protected heritage sites, along the banks of the Tiber and in public parks and gardens.

There are also new laws in place prohibiting advertisements that could incite violence or be seen as sexist.

The city says the new laws will result in a reduction of almost 40 per cent of billboards, from 232,000 to 138,000 sqm of advertising space.

The move signals the end of the so-called Cartellopoli era, characterised by large billboards plastered along the capital's streets during the last 20 years. Rome's mayor Ignazio Marino summed up the legislation by saying "We have put some order on the jungle."