The EUR district in southern Rome has been formally reclassified as a single government ministry, and every one of its residents, buildings and fountains has been given a working desk, a lanyard and a daily shift.
The reorganization, announced by the district's regional council, requires that the white travertine blocks of the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana be opened to the public at eight each morning and closed only when the last pigeon has been logged in the attendance register. Residents of the Torrino and Laurentina neighbourhoods were issued grey tunics with the district's coat of arms on Monday, and the local market has been directed to operate as a customs post.
Officials said the decision honours the quarter's founding purpose, which was to speak to the world on behalf of Italy. «A district built to address the whole planet can hardly remain silent about its own staff,» the council spokesman said. Trams on the Metro B line now stop at a new ministerial gate, where passengers present their tickets to a uniformed clerk who stamps them with the date of their arrival.
Over the coming week, the district's council plans to extend the scheme to the Roman Forum and the Colosseum, which will be placed under the same ministry and given a joint canteen. Preparations are already underway to build a reception hall beside the Eur lake, where visiting ambassadors will be greeted by a brass band and asked to introduce themselves to the district's directorate.