Rome declared 'world's filthiest city' in latest survey

The Italian capital, Rome, has been romanticised for decades, but what the movies choose not to show have been revealed by a poll by Times Out magazine.

According to a survey of 27,000 city-dwellers from across the world, Rome has topped the list of filthiest cities on the planet, followed by New York and Glasgow.

We have seen the beautiful Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps in the movies and social media, but what we have not seen on the travel guides are Rome's dirty streets. The city's streets are usually filled with garbage, and this is not a new problem. The residents of the city have been living with the filth for years now.

A popular website called, Roma Fa Schifo ("Rome Sucks"), has been chronicling the city's ugly secret for over a decade now. It features images of its garbage dumps, defaced walls, and subway signs. The Italians have also been taking to social media platforms to highlight their living conditions.

The garbage problem has only escalated over the years and has turned Rome into the filthiest capital in Europe. The other two cities that have been declared the dirtiest cities in the world are New York City and Glasgow.

The streets of New York are also filled with garbage and have a major rat problem. Its Mayor, Eric Adams, said in April that new trash bins would be placed all over the city to fight the problem, but that was not enough for the city that never sleeps.

Glasgow, which has hosted several climate summits, has been named the third dirtiest city in the world. Almost 70 percent of its residents described it as a "dirty" city. It is Scotland's biggest city and was recently declared one of the worst cities to live in Europe due to its high crime rate and bad weather, among other things, writes Glasgow Live.

Stockholm, Sweden has been named the cleanest city in the world in the poll, followed by Dubai and Abu Dhabi, according to a report in the New York Post.