Curious And Unusual - 'No Dumping' Plaques

	~ Curious And Unusual ~ - 4 - 'No Dumping' Plaques

notice dated September 26th, 1727 (move the mouse cursor over the picture for a translation of the text)	A thorny problem for the city, as much serious as the floods described in the previous page, was the disposal of garbage. Infact, up to the mid 1800s, for common people as well as for the servants of the rich, it was a general custom to get rid of the household's daily litter by taking it into the streets, or to a nearby square, and simply leaving it there. Only when the pile of garbage reached a certain size, a cart would come and take it away, but weeks could pass before this happened!

IT IS EXPLICITLY FORBIDDEN TO ANYBODY
TO THROW ANY KIND OF LITTER
AROUND THIS SEWAGE
UNDER THE PENALTY OF 10 SCUDI
ONE THIRD OF WHICH IS TO BE GIVEN
TO THE ACCUSER, WHO WILL BE KEPT SECRET,
AND OF OTHER CORPORAL PUNISHMENTS,
ACCORDING TO THE BAN PUBLISHED BY
THE HONOURABLE PRESIDENT OF THE STREETS
ON SEPTEMBER 26TH, 1727

notice dated September 26th, 1727
(move the mouse cursor over the picture for a translation of the text)

A thorny problem for the city, as much serious as the floods described in the previous page, was the disposal of garbage.
Infact, up to the mid 1800s, for common people as well as for the servants of the rich, it was a general custom to get rid of the household's daily litter by taking it into the streets, or to a nearby square, and simply leaving it there.
Only when the pile of garbage reached a certain size, a cart would come and take it away, but weeks could pass before this happened!

On top of this, the city streets had their thick layer of mud and horse-dirt swept off only once every eight days; this job was carried out by jail prisoners who, at regular intervals, for this purpose were taken around Rome's streets in chains. The large heaps of trash would attract many stray dogs and cats, and the so-called ammazzacani ("dog-killers", the archaic equivalent of dog-catchers) used to get rid of them by leaving there poisoned food: so these piles grew even larger, containing dead animals in decay.	a famous plaque in via Mario de' Fiori (not far from the Spanish Steps), dated 1733; besides the ban, it also indicates the nearby legal dumps

On top of this, the city streets had their thick layer of mud and horse-dirt swept off only once every eight days; this job was carried out by jail prisoners who, at regular intervals, for this purpose were taken around Rome's streets in chains.
The large heaps of trash would attract many stray dogs and cats, and the so-called ammazzacani ("dog-killers", the archaic equivalent of dog-catchers) used to get rid of them by leaving there poisoned food: so these piles grew even larger, containing dead animals in decay.

BY ORDER OF THE HONOURABLE PRESIDENT
OF THE STREETS IT IS FORBIDDEN FOR ANYBODY
TO THROW LITTER BY THIS CROSSING AND ITS
SURROUNDINGS, UNDER THE PENALTY OF
10 SCUDI, ACCORDING TO THE BAN PUBLISHED
ON JULY 14, 1733
THE DUMPS ARE TWO IN CARROZZE STREET,
AND NEAR THE BARCACCIA FOUNTAIN, AND IN
SERENA LANE

a famous plaque in via Mario de' Fiori (not far from
the Spanish Steps), dated 1733; besides the ban,
it also indicates the nearby legal dumps

a ban dated June 17, 1764, in vicolo della Torretta, Campo Marzio district	Among the many consequences of such terrible condition, the most direct problem was no doubt the nasty smell, which spread from the heaps a long way all around the surrounding streets, especially during the hot season. Although the 18th century is not renowned for its hygienic standard, this habit must have caused indeed a very disturbing situation for those who dwelt in buildings next to these dumps. In the late 1600s, a few notices that forbade to gather trash, carrying a threat of fines and corporal punishments for the offenders, had already appeared on the walls of some important churches, such as Sant'Agostino, San Carlo in via del Corso, San Teodoro, and others.

THE HONOURABLE PRESIDENT OF
THE STREETS FORBIDS ANYBODY TO THROW
LITTER AND MAKE A DUMP ON THIS SPOT
UNDER THE PENALTIES MENTIONED IN
THE BAN PUBLISHED ON JUNE 17, 1764

a ban dated June 17, 1764,
in vicolo della Torretta, Campo Marzio district

Among the many consequences of such terrible condition, the most direct problem was no doubt the nasty smell, which spread from the heaps a long way all around the surrounding streets, especially during the hot season.
Although the 18th century is not renowned for its hygienic standard, this habit must have caused indeed a very disturbing situation for those who dwelt in buildings next to these dumps.

In the late 1600s, a few notices that forbade to gather trash, carrying a threat of fines and corporal punishments for the offenders, had already appeared on the walls of some important churches, such as Sant'Agostino, San Carlo in via del Corso, San Teodoro, and others.

This deterrent likely proved effective, because during the mid 1700s, similar bans in the shape of plaques began to appear also in the city streets, especially by the corners of rich buildings, where important families lived. The notice they carried forbade to gather litter in those places or, in more popular terms, to make a mondezzaro ("a dump"). Who issued these bans was the President of the Streets, a high officer in charge for the city's decorum; he entrusted the Master of the Streets with the duty of making sure that the ban was complied with.	a scanty text, roughly edited, on this plaque hanging in via di Monserrato

This deterrent likely proved effective, because during the mid 1700s, similar bans in the shape of plaques began to appear also in the city streets, especially by the corners of rich buildings, where important families lived. The notice they carried forbade to gather litter in those places or, in more popular terms, to make a mondezzaro ("a dump"). Who issued these bans was the President of the Streets, a high officer in charge for the city's decorum; he entrusted the Master of the Streets with the duty of making sure that the ban was complied with.

BY ORDER OF THE HONOURABLE PRISIDENT
OF THE STREETS IT IS FORBIDDEN FOR
ANYBODY TO THROW LTTER ON THIS
SPOT UNDER THE PENALTIES I
SSUED ON THE DAY
SEPTEMBER 8, 1759

a scanty text, roughly edited,
on this plaque hanging in via di Monserrato

plaque on the corner between via Frattina and via del Gambero	Although the contents of these plaques were basically the same, the text was different, ranging in length from five or six scanty lines to almost twenty in the most prolix ones. Sometimes they were edited rather roughly (see the sample above), but in those years the people who could read were still very few. Therefore, from 1717 to 1771, on the walls in the historical centre, a great number of plaques appeared, bearing the aforesaid admonishment not to leave garbage by the spot where they hung. Since in most cases these corners belonged to rich buildings where important families dwelt, we may reasonably think that the latter may put some pressure on the President of the Streets, so to make him issue a ban by their own houses. The same plaques also stated the penalties applied in the case of offence: these could consist in a money fine, in a personal arrest, and even in corporal punishment. The type of penalty and its severity were freely decided by the same President of the Streets.

THE HONOURABLE PRESIDENT OF
THE STREETS FORBIDS ANY PERSON
TO THROW WASTE AND MAKE A DUMP
BY THIS CROSSING UNDER THE
PENALTIES MENTIONED IN THE
BAN PUBLISHED ON JULY 18, 1766

plaque on the corner between
via Frattina and via del Gambero

Although the contents of these plaques were basically the same, the text was different, ranging in length from five or six scanty lines to almost twenty in the most prolix ones. Sometimes they were edited rather roughly (see the sample above), but in those years the people who could read were still very few.

Therefore, from 1717 to 1771, on the walls in the historical centre, a great number of plaques appeared, bearing the aforesaid admonishment not to leave garbage by the spot where they hung. Since in most cases these corners belonged to rich buildings where important families dwelt, we may reasonably think that the latter may put some pressure on the President of the Streets, so to make him issue a ban by their own houses. The same plaques also stated the penalties applied in the case of offence: these could consist in a money fine, in a personal arrest, and even in corporal punishment. The type of penalty and its severity were freely decided by the same President of the Streets.

The aim of these multiple sanctions was to punish both the instigator and the actual offender: the latter (often a servant) was usually subject to corporal punishment, whereas the former (the master) would have to pay the hefty fine, as more than one plaque reads: with regard to the fine, the father will be held responsible for his sons, and the master for his servants.	plaque in via dei Cappellari, by the Arch of St.Margherita

plaque by the church of St.Theodore, bearing a threat of excommunication for offenders	Furthermore, in order to convince the population to report the names of those who left their garbage in the streets, some bans included the rule by which one part of the fine payed by the culprit would be given to the accuser, whose name was to remain secret. To keep the streets clean next to churches, instead, the bans relied on the sacredness of the place. One of the oldest plaques still in place, behind the Roman Forum, as a penalty for those who dared leave waste of any kind, or cause nasty smell in front of the church of St.Theodore and its precincts, even bore excommunication.

EXCOMMUNICATION,
BESIDES 200 GOLD DUCATI, TO BE GIVEN
TO PIOUS ESTABLISHMENTS, AND OTHER
ARBITRARY PUNISHMENTS FOR ANY PERSON,
OF ANY SOCIAL CONDITION, WHO WILL DARE
UNLOAD, THROW OR CARRY FODDER, HAY
OR OTHER WASTE OF ANY KIND, AND
CAUSE STINK AND BAD SMELL IN FRONT
OF THIS CHURCH OF ST.THEODORE, ITS
WALLS AND PRECINCTS, ALSO BY GOING
TO THE SAME CHURCH BY CARRIAGE.
THE AFORESAID MEASURES AND PENALTIES
ARE TO BE APPLIED IMMEDIATELY,
ACCORDING TO THE PROCEEDINGS, BY
ORDER OF THE MOST HONOURABLE AND
REVEREND CARDINAL-VICAR · AUGUST 11, 1703

plaque by the church of St.Theodore, bearing
a threat of excommunication for offenders

Furthermore, in order to convince the population to report the names of those who left their garbage in the streets, some bans included the rule by which one part of the fine payed by the culprit would be given to the accuser, whose name was to remain secret.

To keep the streets clean next to churches, instead, the bans relied on the sacredness of the place. One of the oldest plaques still in place, behind the Roman Forum, as a penalty for those who dared leave waste of any kind, or cause nasty smell in front of the church of St.Theodore and its precincts, even bore excommunication.

With regard to corporal punishment, instead, up to the early 1800s those who committed minor offenses, which included having made a dump, were subject to tugs of the rope, a cruel torture commonly adopted by the papal justice, which consisted in tying the culprit by his wrists to a pulley, and then tug him a number of times, sometimes causing the dislocation of his shoulder bones. Obviously, all this was performed publicly, in order to carry out the punishment and to admonish the rest of the population, at the same time. In several streets and squares stood tall poles, for this very purpose, no trace of which remains today, fortunately. The bans remained active for an even longer time, i.e. until the Papal State fell (1870); the city administrators applied the relevant sanctions so pedantically that dialect poet Giuseppe Gioachino Belli wrote one of his ironical sonnets about them, adding among the footnotes the following witty remark:	judicial pole, with a pulley at the top, in the no longer existing Giudia Square, by the Jewish Ghetto (etching by Giuseppe Vasi)

With regard to corporal punishment, instead, up to the early 1800s those who committed minor offenses, which included having made a dump, were subject to tugs of the rope, a cruel torture commonly adopted by the papal justice, which consisted in tying the culprit by his wrists to a pulley, and then tug him a number of times, sometimes causing the dislocation of his shoulder bones. Obviously, all this was performed publicly, in order to carry out the punishment and to admonish the rest of the population, at the same time. In several streets and squares stood tall poles, for this very purpose, no trace of which remains today, fortunately.

The bans remained active for an even longer time, i.e. until the Papal State fell (1870); the city administrators applied the relevant sanctions so pedantically that dialect poet Giuseppe Gioachino Belli wrote one of his ironical sonnets about them, adding among the footnotes the following witty remark:

judicial pole, with a pulley at the top,
in the no longer existing Giudia Square,
by the Jewish Ghetto (etching by Giuseppe Vasi)

« Still today these bans made of stone, which have turned blacker than the writing they bear, may cause some servants to curse those who never taught them the alphabet. »