If you were in Rome this weekend you were in for a white surprise. What started Friday with slush on the roads ended Saturday when the second day of snowfall blanketed the capital white, causing traffic to grind to a halt in most places. Mayor Gianni Alemanno urged drivers not to hit the roads if their cars were not equipped with chains or winter tyres. The snowfall also made buses and taxis scarce, meaning we had to walk our way around Rome and we were not the only ones walking. ”We haven’t seen this kind of snow since 1985 – 1986,” people told us several times in the streets, “in this city it hardly ever snows.”

While the city struggled with the unusually snowy weather Rome’s city officials decided to close Rome’s tourist attractions, like the  ancient Colosseum, the adjacent Roman Forum, the Palatine Hill, museums, schools and other public buildings over fears people could slip and fall. In addition Mayor Gianni Alemanno appealed to private citizens to help clear the city of snow and slush before the nighttime freeze. Notwithstanding the hand out of 4,000 shovels by volunteers for the national Civil Protection agency most Romans used their own broom or shovel to clear the entrance to their apartment building.

After the chaos on Friday the mood changed on Saturday when  Rome awoke to about 10 centimeters (4 inches) of fresh snow and the streets filled up with families, couples, children and young adolescents tossing snowballs,  taking pictures and making the most of  this white surprise the skies brought the Romans. The  holiday-like atmosphere influenced most of us and to be in an almost car-less winter wonderland Rome became a totally unexpected,  pleasant experience.

Take a look at video from Republica TV to get an Rome snow impression