Rome officials have revoked permits for a huge McDonald’s that would have opened next to the ruins of Rome’s famed Baths of Caracalla, with the Mayor of Rome saying “The wonders of Rome must be protected.”
The ancient baths, whose underground tunnels and chambers are a popular attraction, could once hold 8,000 Romans in their baths of different temperatures; perhaps an ancient McDonald’s could have made a fortune next door, but the new one, which would have had 8,600 square feet of floor space, won’t get the chance.
The Terme di Caracallo, incidentally, were the model for New York’s Penn Station, torn down long ago. But since the below-ground portions of the station are still in use, visitors can explore underground tunnels and chambers there, too, but without the option for bathing.
