A dentist in Rome’s Prati neighbourhood found himself at the centre of a viral parking dispute this week. The free space where he had parked his car turned into a paid one overnight, and he woke up to a fine for not displaying a ticket.
Stefano Angeloni, 65, parked his car on Thursday evening, 5 July, in via Catullo, on what were then ordinary free parking spaces marked with white lines. When he came down the next morning with his dog, the lines had turned blue, indicating paid parking. A €29.40 fine was sitting on his windshield for failing to display a ticket.
No sign the car had moved
What alerted Angeloni that something was wrong wasn’t only the timing. Looking under his own wheels, he noticed the pavement there was still painted white, clear evidence the car hadn’t been moved while crews repainted the surrounding spaces. He filmed the scene and posted it to social media, expecting little reaction beyond a few friends. Instead the clip went viral within hours, racking up more than 43,000 views and thousands of comments.
Angeloni said no sign had been posted anywhere in the area announcing the change to paid parking. Nearby shop owners reportedly told him crews had arrived with paint rollers on Friday morning, the day after he parked and repainted the white lines blue. There was no advance notice to residents. He said he wasn’t the only one affected, with several other people getting in touch to say the same thing had happened to them elsewhere in the city.
Although a lawyer who saw the video offered free legal assistance and suggested he could contest the fine, Angeloni chose to pay it straight away. The car belonged to his sister-in-law, and he said he didn’t want to create complications for her.
Atac cancels fines, promises changes
Atac, the company that manages paid parking in Rome on behalf of the city government, acknowledged the mistake once the story gained attention. In a statement, the company said its inspectors had acted correctly from a procedural standpoint but with excessive zeal. The company and announced it would cancel the fines issued in the areas affected by the overnight repainting. Refunds will be automatic for anyone who paid electronically by card, while drivers who paid in cash or with a scratch-off parking voucher will need to request cancellation by emailing Atac’s customer relations address and providing proof they parked in the affected zone and paid the fine.
Atac also outlined changes for the future: when converting free spaces into paid ones going forward, the company said it would apply a grace period of greater tolerance in the first hours after a zone changes. Furthermore, it would supplement its usual press and social media notices with printed flyers placed directly on windshields in the affected area.
