HADRIAN's Villa, the retreat of Roman Emperor Hadrian, has become a garbage dump, with area people illegally depositing their rubbish, trash, old cars and kitchen appliances around the UNESCO heritage monument.
Hadrian's Villa is now surrounded by discarded fridges and abandoned tires ... despite its status as a Unesco World Heritage Site.
The rural landscape around the 2nd-century complex near Tivoli was once a buffer zone from the ancient filth of urban Rome. And in 1999, Unesco status meant the countryside around the villa needed to be kept clean.
But now, nocturnal fly-by-night garbage dumpers deposit everything from kitchen cupboards to chemical waste among the bushes.
Protests in Rome have already broken out this year against toxic fires, illegal waste management and illegal landfills around the capital.
And now, campaigner Carlo Boldrighini of conservation group Italia Nostra has spoken out of how he uncovered a disused hot tub and kitchen units whilst examining the undergrowth around the villa.
"The locals can be less than civil when no one is looking," he said.
Environmental activist Gianni Innocenti also bemoaned a spate of dumping paint and chemicals by nightfall. Their discoveries included construction waste, vehicle parts, and bin bags filled with metal containers scattered throughout the protected zone.
Unesco's 1999 recognition of Hadrian's Villa outlined how it was "an important and sensitive site that ensures the enhancement, presentation and protection of the outstanding universal value of the property, and as such requires sensitive management and protection."
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