Rome never ceases to surprise. On November 17, on his 75th birthday, Carlo Verdone will become mayor of the capital for a day.
A symbolic and affectionate gesture desired by the first citizen Roberto Gualtieri, who decided to give the city — and one of its most beloved sons — a title that goes far beyond politics: it is a recognition of the Roman-ness, cinema and irony that have made Verdone part of Rome’s identity.
A legacy that starts with Alberto Sordi (and returns 25 years later)
Mayor Gualtieri announced the news during the event “Repubblica Insieme – Roma, la fabbrica del cinema” at the Auditorium Parco della Musica.
“For his 75th birthday I asked Carlo Verdone to be mayor for a day,” he said.
An affectionate déjà vu: in 2000 the same honor was given to Alberto Sordi by Francesco Rutelli.
Gualtieri called it a choice “that makes a small step in the wide field,” but for Romans it is more a step in the heart.
Capitoline Assembly President Svetlana Celli also spoke of “a beautiful initiative that pays tribute to an authentic son of Rome.”
Verdone: “Thrilled and happy, Rome is my home (even if some potholes remain)”
Verdone greeted the news with his usual smile:
I felt very excited and happy. After Alberto Sordi, it’s my turn. It is a gesture of affection that moves me.
For one day he will be the one to symbolically lead the city that he has narrated for decades in his films.
And there is no shortage of jokes: “The potholes have improved, but I once risked my skin on a motorcycle! Now, however, it’s also a matter of civic sense, not just asphalt.”
In perfect Verdone style, his “mayoral agenda” would include putting the civics booklet back in schools, increasing the city’s public toilets (“In England you put in a coin and go, here you have to pray”), better lighting Rome (“the evening is as dark as a black and white movie”).
Rome in Verdone’s films: irony, melancholy and truth.
To understand why this news excites so much, just look at Verdone’s filmography: Rome has always been his co-star.
From “Un sacco bello” and “Bianco, rosso e Verdone” to “Compagni di scuola” and the “Vita da Carlo” series, the city is the backdrop – and often the most authentic character – of his stories.
He has recounted the capital with the tenderness of someone who knows it well but does not idealize it: “Rome is a beautiful lady left on a rickety chair,” he once said.
And it is precisely that contradiction-between beauty and sloppiness, between love and disillusionment-that makes Verdone the “moral mayor” of Rome for at least four decades.
Verdone’s places of the heart in Rome.
Carlo Verdone lives in the Monteverde Vecchio neighborhood, in the historic heart of the city, with a view that embraces domes and rooftops like an Ettore Scola film.
He loves walking in Trastevere, the Gianicolo, and Testaccio, and he often cites San Giovanni and Via Tuscolana as places full of hidden charm: “There are wonderful Art Nouveau interiors, well-kept buildings, and it almost seems like you’re not in Rome.”
These are his soul neighborhoods, the ones where he stops to talk to people, to observe the real city. The one that – between jokes and sighs – always tries to improve itself, just like in his films.
Mayor of Rome for a day: a symbolic gesture, but one with deep meaning
On Nov. 17 Verdone will not make administrative decisions, but he will do something more valuable: rekindle Roman pride.
In his ironic, affectionate and direct way, he will remind everyone that the Capital is alive if you love it, if you respect it, if you care for it.
He may not actually fix the potholes or the public toilets, but he will bring a message that is worth more than a thousand ordinances:
“Rome is to be loved as one loves a family person. With patience, irony and a little de heart.”