Collapse of carriage horse amid Rome's summer heat sparks calls for botticelle ban

Animal rights campaigners call on Rome mayor to act after another carriage horse collapses in traffic. A horse pulling one of Rome's traditional botticelle carriages collapsed in the street on 4 July, amid extreme heat and heavy traffic, reigniting calls to end the use of horse-drawn carriages for tourists. The animal fell at around 11.30 on Ponte Cavour, buckling onto the scorching cobblestones amid chaotic traffic, according to witnesses who said some passers-by stopped to help the driver. Images of the collapse spread rapidly on social media. Italian journalist Francesca Fagnani shared the footage on Instagram, tagging mayor Roberto Gualtieri and asking why the practice had still not been banned. Rome's animal rights ombudswoman, Patrizia Prestipino, said the incident had been entirely foreseeable and called it a "horrible image" for the capital. Ponte Cavour, 4 luglio, ore 1130. Un cavallo delle botticelle stramazza al suolo. Lo diciamo da sempre.Questa città non è più a misura di cavalli da botticelle. Le temperature infernali, l'asfalto bollente e il traffico caotico non lo consentono più da anni. Sono protetti… pic.twitter.com/alKtiCZ2wQ — Patrizia Prestipino (@patriziaprestip) July 5, 2026 "This city is no longer horse-friendly for botticelle carriages" - Prestipino said - "The infernal temperatures, the scorching asphalt, and the chaotic traffic haven't allowed it for years. She dismissed a suggestion that the horse had simply slipped, and said that she would ask municipal police to monitor the carriages' compliance with animal welfare rules. A long-running dispute over a Roman tradition The collapse is the latest in a series of similar incidents involving Rome's carriage horses, including previous cases near the Spanish Steps, on Via del Corso and Via Condotti, and a fatal collision near the Colosseum in 2008. Why it's time for Rome to ban horse-drawn carriages Rome's city assembly voted unanimously in 2024 to phase out the horse-drawn carriages entirely, and last month the council announced an agreement with 15 of the 16 remaining licence-holders to convert their carriage licences into taxi licences, with the city also seeking a car manufacturer willing to offer discounted terms. Campaigners renew call for a national ban Animal rights activists have reiterated a longstanding call to end the practice at national level, since legal challenges from licence-holders have repeatedly succeeded at Italy's regional administrative courts because national law still permits animal-drawn transport. Rome's ENPA animal welfare association said the images caused widespread indignation and anger, describing the continued use of horses to pull carriages through heavy traffic, noise and extreme heat as an outdated and indecent practice with no place in a modern city. While welcoming the city's efforts to phase out and convert the licences, the association argued that the small number of remaining licences was itself proof that voluntary measures had not gone far enough, and called on the national government and parliament to amend the law to abolish animal-drawn passenger transport altogether. The association also urged full clarity over the latest incident, to establish whether any welfare rules were breached.

WIRE — Animal rights campaigners call on Rome mayor to act after another carriage horse collapses in traffic. A horse pulling one of Rome's traditional botticelle carriages collapsed in the street on 4 July, amid extreme heat and heavy traffic, reigniting calls to end the use of horse-drawn carriages for tourists. The animal fell at around 11.30 on Ponte Cavour, buckling onto the scorching cobblestones amid chaotic traffic, according to witnesses who said some passers-by stopped to help the driver. Images of the collapse spread rapidly on social media. Italian journalist Francesca Fagnani shared the footage on Instagram, tagging mayor Roberto Gualtieri and asking why the practice had still not been banned. Rome's animal rights ombudswoman, Patrizia Prestipino, said the incident had been entirely foreseeable and called it a "horrible image" for the capital. Ponte Cavour, 4 luglio, ore 1130. Un cavallo delle botticelle stramazza al suolo. Lo diciamo da sempre.Questa città non è più a misura di cavalli da botticelle. Le temperature infernali, l'asfalto bollente e il traffico caotico non lo consentono più da anni. Sono protetti… pic.twitter.com/alKtiCZ2wQ — Patrizia Prestipino (@patriziaprestip) July 5, 2026 "This city is no longer horse-friendly for botticelle carriages" - Prestipino said - "The infernal temperatures, the scorching asphalt, and the chaotic traffic haven't allowed it for years. She dismissed a suggestion that the horse had simply slipped, and said that she would ask municipal police to monitor the carriages' compliance with animal welfare rules. A long-running dispute over a Roman tradition The collapse is the latest in a series of similar incidents involving Rome's carriage horses, including previous cases near the Spanish Steps, on Via del Corso and Via Condotti, and a fatal collision near the Colosseum in 2008. Why it's time for Rome to ban horse-drawn carriages Rome's city assembly voted unanimously in 2024 to phase out the horse-drawn carriages entirely, and last month the council announced an agreement with 15 of the 16 remaining licence-holders to convert their carriage licences into taxi licences, with the city also seeking a car manufacturer willing to offer discounted terms. Campaigners renew call for a national ban Animal rights activists have reiterated a longstanding call to end the practice at national level, since legal challenges from licence-holders have repeatedly succeeded at Italy's regional administrative courts because national law still permits animal-drawn transport. Rome's ENPA animal welfare association said the images caused widespread indignation and anger, describing the continued use of horses to pull carriages through heavy traffic, noise and extreme heat as an outdated and indecent practice with no place in a modern city. While welcoming the city's efforts to phase out and convert the licences, the association argued that the small number of remaining licences was itself proof that voluntary measures had not gone far enough, and called on the national government and parliament to amend the law to abolish animal-drawn passenger transport altogether. The association also urged full clarity over the latest incident, to establish whether any welfare rules were breached.

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