The horses of Rome are still not wearing their specially-designed pants. Last summer, an agreement was signed between the city council and the Rome carriage drivers trade union (associazione sindacale dei vetturini romani) in an attempt to keep the roads of the historic centre cleaner and in more hygienic conditions.

A year later, horses with pants are few and far between, as are police checks on ensuring that the agreement is respected.

The horse pants cylinder-shaped, waxed pieces of cloth especially made in Florence were distributed to all horse-carriage owners. The horse pants are often seen attached on to the carriages, but not actually placed in the strategic position.

The results of this are clearly visible on some of Romes most popular tourist areas such as Via del Corso, Via due Macelli, Via Mario de Fiori, Pantheon and Piazza Navona. Tourists may alight from the romantic carriage ride, to find a not-so-romantic-surprise waiting down below.