In the best of times Rome is confusing and disorganized. Add a little snow and well, I can’t even imagine. One thing I have noticed from watching the videos is that unlike Atlanta where we stay home when it snows, in Rome everyone seems to have jumped into their cars and hit the road. Rome and Atlanta have similar weather so I would assume that their winter driving skills are similar to ours meaning they are nonexistent.

How bad was the snow?

Bad enough that they closed the Colosseum, the Forum and Palatine Hill for fear that tourists would slip on the snow and ice.

With the snow and ice, taxis and buses were nowhere to be found so many workers had to make their way home on foot. Not as big of a problem in a country where walking is a common mode of transportation as it is here where we are loathe to give up our cars.

It is not uncommon for Rome to get a dusting of snow but more substantial amounts are rare. The last significant snow falls were in 1985 and 1986.

Brrrrrrrr!

According to ABC News since Rome rarely sees freezing temperatures, heating in homes is only allowed by law for about 10 or 12 hours a day to cut down on pollution. The cold snap, with temperatures hovering at or just below the freezing point, meant there were a lot of cold residents of Rome made even colder by the marble and tile floors common in many Italian homes.

According to ANSA a ferry going from Civitavecchia (the port for Rome) to Sardinia hit a dock when the ship was hit with strong winds. The accident left a gash in the ferry’s side above the waterline. Two tugboats had to pull the ferry back to the dock so the 262 passengers and 53 crew members could leave the ship.

Further proof of the severity of the weather is that the Serie A soccer match between AS Roma and InterMilan was moved from Saturday to Sunday.