“La goccia scava la pietra.”
The drop hollows the stone — persistence overcomes all obstacles.
Welcome to Friday, May 29 — and what a Friday it is in the Eternal City. A nationwide general strike has shut down Rome's ATAC buses, metro, trams, and rail services across Italy, with only legally protected guarantee windows running from start of service until 8:29 am and again from 5:00 pm to 7:59 pm. Those braving the disruption will find the Taste of Roma food festival opening its gates for the first of three days at Gasometro Ostiense. The Church today celebrates the feast of St. Paul VI, Pope — Giovanni Battista Montini, who was ordained a priest on this very date in 1920 — and St. Ursula Ledochowska. On this day in 1453, Constantinople fell to the armies of Mehmed the Conqueror, ending the Eastern Roman Empire after more than a thousand years. In local news, police have arrested five men in Tor Cervara after a Colombian tourist was rescued from a 72-hour abduction ordeal. Plan your journey, check the guaranteed train lists, and enjoy a vibrant late-spring Friday in Rome.
A 24-hour general strike called by a coalition of grassroots unions — CUB, SGB, ADL Varese, SI Cobas and USI Cit — has brought Rome's public transport to a standstill on Friday, affecting the entire ATAC network including metro lines A, B, B1 and C, surface buses, and tram services. Trains across Italy operated by Gruppo FS, Italo and Trenord have been affected since 9:00 pm on Thursday, with disruption expected to continue until 9:00 pm Friday. Under Italian strike law, guaranteed service windows operate from start of service until 8:29 am and from 5:00 pm to 7:59 pm; outside those hours, services face full or partial suspension. The unions cite opposition to war and rising military spending, workplace exploitation, the housing emergency, and restrictions on the right to strike as grounds for the industrial action. Travellers are urged to consult the ATAC and Trenitalia websites for the latest updates on guaranteed services before heading out.
Rome's Flying Squad, in a coordinated raid on an abandoned building in the Tor Cervara district, arrested five African migrants accused of abducting and gang-raping a 32-year-old Colombian tourist over 72 hours. The woman, who arrived in Rome on May 9, was approached near Termini Station by a man who offered to sell her hashish, then forced into a van and taken to a derelict building on Via Cesare Tallone. There, five men — identified as Saidykhan Lamin, 29, and Karamba Kanteh, 38, from Gambia; Harouna Traore, 43, from Mali; and Isibor Wisdom, 29, and Paul Nwabueze, 39, from Nigeria — allegedly drugged, threatened, and repeatedly sexually assaulted her. The victim escaped half-naked and was found by a passer-by who brought her to Casilino hospital, where forensic tests confirmed signs of violence and an altered state consistent with drug administration. Police found 22 illegal migrants in the building; half received expulsion orders and were transferred to detention centres in Ponte Galeria, Palazzo San Gervasio, and Bari. Three additional individuals remain under investigation, including the man who lured the victim. The five suspects face charges of aggravated gang rape and kidnapping.
The much-anticipated Taste of Roma food festival opens its doors today at Gasometro Ostiense for a weekend of culinary celebration running through Sunday 31 May. Now in its 2026 edition, the festival gathers chefs from the capital's most celebrated restaurants for tasting stations, live cooking demonstrations, and masterclasses. This year's programme highlights cucina ebraico-romanesca — the millennia-old culinary tradition of Rome's Jewish community — with dedicated tastings of carciofi alla giudia, filetti di baccalà, and ricotta and sour cherry tart. Evening entertainment includes DJ sets and a wine bar curated by Roman sommeliers. Tickets remain available online and at the venue.