A Christmas tree in Rome's Piazza Venezia has become the subject of ridicule. Nicknamed "Spelacchio," which can be translated from Italian as "threadbare," the tree lost its needles and died only two weeks after it was brought to the city from Val di Fiemme in the Trentino region of northern Italy.
#Spelacchio prima della cura e dopo la cura. Roma risorge rigogliosa. pic.twitter.com/GgZlUPGHSu
— Vittorio Zucconi (@vittoriozucconi) 14 декабря 2017 г.
"#Spelacchio before and after."
Prayfor #Spelacchio pic.twitter.com/DSWysaldcu
— Luca Nobili (@LucaNobili) 9 декабря 2017 г.
Shine on you crazy Spelacchio… just one more night… #spelacchio #rome #roma #christmas #natale pic.twitter.com/G9xZVpsqD7
— Deimos rocks! (@deimos_rocks) 20 декабря 2017 г.
Romans took to Twitter to express their concerns and mourn the early death of the 21-meter-tall fir.
“Per fare un albero di Natale ci vogliono tre cose: gli ornamenti, l’albero e la fede nel futuro”
— Cardinal Mazzarino (@CardMazzarino) 20 декабря 2017 г.
Proverbio armeno
Chissà a #Roma cosa manca.#spelacchio pic.twitter.com/GYcYMpEu6k
"‘It takes three things to do a Christmas tree: ornaments, a tree and faith in the future,' an Armenian proverb says. I wonder what Rome is missing."
Smettetela di rompere le palle a #Spelacchio, gli sono rimaste solo quelle dopo che ha donato le foglie alla scienza.
— ⎛⎝ James the Bond ⎠⎞ (@IAmJamesTheBond) 19 декабря 2017 г.
Addio #Spelacchio, è stato bello conoscerti, anche se tu avresti preferito vivere sotto i raggi di sole sulle montagne, invece ti è toccata la Raggi di Roma. pic.twitter.com/mxqs7svBaV
"Goodbye #Spelacchio, it was nice to meet you, even though you would have preferred to live under the rays of the sun in the mountains."
RIP @spelacchio We will never forget you #roma #spelacchio pic.twitter.com/VrdxcVAX31
— Giorgia Burzz (@GiorgiaBurzz) 19 декабря 2017 г.
Some compared it to a giant toilet brush, mocking "Spelacchio" for its long arms and patchy needles.
Welcome #spelacchio, Roma te salutat #piazzavenezia pic.twitter.com/48t7g0y3df
— LauraDeliQuintiliani (@AvvLauraDeliQ) 8 декабря 2017 г.
I Simpson avevano previsto #Spelacchio pic.twitter.com/3zBnbE6QNq
— Stefano Bertacchi (@SteBiotech) 19 декабря 2017 г.
"‘The Simpsons' predicted #Spelacchio."
The unfortunate tree, which has been decaying right before the eyes of shocked citizens and tourists, inspired a popular hashtag and even a parody account.
La morte mi fa bello https://t.co/8P8OXRdyiC
— Spelacchio (@spelacchio) 19 декабря 2017 г.
"Death makes me beautiful."
Ho più follower che rami 😁😁.
— Spelacchio (@spelacchio) 10 декабря 2017 г.
"I have more followers than branches."
Non sono brutto sono sobrio.#AlberoDiNatale #roma
— Spelacchio (@spelacchio) 8 декабря 2017 г.
"I'm not ugly, I'm sober."
On Monday, city authorities finally admitted the tree was utterly rootless and officially dead. According to a preliminary inquiry, it wasn't properly covered during transportation, which cost Rome a whopping 50,000 euros (three times more than the fee for last year's tree).
