One of Rome’s oldest trades could disappear permanently after a bill seeking to ban horse-drawn carriages was presented to Italy’s Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday afternoon.

If approved, the legislation would prohibit the carriages known as “botticelle,” which are commonly used in major tourist cities, particularly Rome.

Bill Seeks to Ban Animal-Drawn Carriages

Backed by the PD, AVS and M5S parties, the bill proposes repealing Article 70 of Italy’s Highway Code.

The article regulates public carriage services involving animal-drawn vehicles and allows them to operate on public streets.

The proposed legislation seeks to impose an explicit ban on using animals to pull vehicles for public carriage services, non-scheduled public transport, tourism, entertainment and representational purposes.

“Individual municipal orders restricting the working hours and activities of botticelle are not enough. We must move towards a national law that eliminates botticelle and animal-drawn carriages from cities,” said PD lawmaker Patrizia Prestipino, who is responsible for animal issues in Rome.

Prestipino made the remarks during a press conference also attended by AVS lawmaker Francesco Emilio Borrelli and M5S lawmaker Sergio Costa.

Animal Welfare on Rome’s Streets

Prestipino said environmental organisations, including Amore A Quattro Zampe, which is supporting the initiative, have maintained for years that modern roads are no longer suitable for animal welfare.

She added that the extreme temperatures recorded in recent days make it impossible for horses to walk on scorching asphalt.

Throughout August, posters promoting the “A piedi è più bello” awareness campaign will be displayed at some of Rome’s most prominent tourist attractions.

The campaign was launched by Rome councillor Rocco Ferraro, who is also responsible for environmental affairs, ecological transition, protected areas and animal protection in the Metropolitan City of Rome Rome. Campaign materials were produced in Italian and English.

Ferraro expressed his support for the bill and said he hoped Parliament would “seize this historic opportunity and approve legislation that permanently ends the use of horses for tourist transport in our cities.”

“In 2026, continuing to use horses to pull carriages in the heart of the capital is a practice that belongs to the past, not the future,” he said.