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The removed key boxes were located in Via di San Teodoro, a short distance away from Rome’s famous Circus Maximus venue.
Photos available on social media pictured hooded protesters as they used pincers to remove a key box from a pole.
Sabotaggio contro B&b e affitti brevi: “Basta turistificazione”. Il blitz notturno a #Roma – VIDEO#affitti #video #23ottobre #iltempoquotidiano https://t.co/g8MNB7KzbM pic.twitter.com/DzXdxeDXzl
— IL TEMPO (@tempoweb) October 23, 2024
After removing the key boxes, the protesters tied a green Robin Hood hat and a printed statement to the pole.
“We remove these locks to denounce the sale of the city to hit-and-run tourism, which alienates people and leaves locals out on the streets”, the statement said.
“Short-term rentals devour long-term ones, taking away space for families to create more of it for tourists.”
“This is only the first action we take against your Jubilee of the Rich,” the message said in reference to the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year, when Rome is expected to see an influx of 32 million visitors.
Before signing off, protesters also called on Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri to “defend the right to housing” by setting “a maximum threshold for the number of properties used for short-term rentals”.
The act of sabotage came a week after a number of resident associations gathered in central Rome to protest against the consequences of overtourism on residents’ lives and address “the uncontrolled proliferation of short-term rentals, tourist buses [and] outdoor seating areas”.
The capital has been affected by a severe shortage of affordable housing in recent years, with the booming tourist rental market frequently seen as the main culprit.
According to Repubblica, Rome had some 25,000 properties rented out via Airbnb alone in 2024, with 14,000 of them (56 percent) concentrated in the city centre.
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But other Italian cities, including Florence, Milan and Venice, have seen an increasingly smaller pool of available long-term rentals and major spikes in rents.
READ ALSO: INTERVIEW: ‘Tourist rentals are the first thing to deal with after Venice’s entry fee failure’
Italy’s government last year unveiled plans to restrict tourist rentals to address the housing crisis.
One of the main measures – a requirement for property owners to hold a national identification code – came into force on September 1st, while plans to enforce a minimum stay of two nights for all short-term rentals in Italy’s 14 metropolitan cities have seemingly hit a dead end.