Icon: enlarge
Protest against new lockdown in a textile shop in Naples (inscription: "Shame on you, you kill us more than Covid"):
Fears of a long, severe recession are returning
Photo: Giacomino / ROPI
Perhaps the most beautiful investment ruin in Italy is on the outskirts of Rome.
The roof of the »Città dello sport«, a masterpiece by the star architect Santiago Calatrava, rises like a white, airy sail.
It was originally supposed to cost 60 million euros, at some point it was around 240 million, then the project was stopped.
Work has been on hold for nine years.
Most recently, the shell served as a backdrop for the »Suburra« mafia series.
Roberto Romanella is the mayor of Roma VI district, and Calatrava's ruins are just one of the countless problems that plague him right now.
"We are the poorest neighborhood in Rome," says Romanella, "the social situation is dramatic." In recent months, he had food parcels distributed because people in his neighborhood are starving as a result of the pandemic.
Sometimes he wakes up at two o'clock in the morning because small fireworks can be heard.
"This is not a party," he explains - it is a signal from criminal clans to their customers.
"I then say to my wife: Another load of drugs has arrived."
Read more with Spiegel Plus
More perspectives, more understanding.
Your advantages with SPIEGEL +
Icon: Check
SPIEGEL as a magazine
as an app, e-paper and on the e-reader
Icon: Check
All articles on SPIEGEL.de
Exclusive texts for SPIEGEL + readers
Icon: Check
Try one month for free
Cancel anytime online
A price
only € 19.99 per month
One month for € 0.00
Try now for 0.00 € Buy nowArrow to the right
Already have a digital subscription? Register here
Restore iTunes subscription
SPIEGEL + is processed via your iTunes account and paid for with a purchase confirmation.
24 hours before it expires, the subscription is automatically renewed by one month at the current price of € 19.99.
You can cancel the subscription at any time in the settings of your iTunes account.
In order to use SPIEGEL + outside of this app, you must link the subscription to a SPIEGEL ID account immediately after purchase.
With the purchase you accept our general terms and conditions and privacy policy.
