ANDRIA HALL, CNN ANCHOR: It's Earth Day in Italy, and people in 174 cities are enjoying a Sunday without traffic there. To help curb pollution, people are parking their cars and finding other ways to get around. CNN Rome bureau chief Gayle Young has more on this car-free experiment.</s>GAYLE YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In an attempt to flip things around, the streets of Rome were reserved for skaters, bikers and pedestrians in an early celebration of Earth Day. A city notorious for traffic jams prohibits most cars from the downtown area for one Sunday each month. This Sunday is also when Italians celebrate Earth Day, which promotes environmental awareness. And just about everybody took to the streets. "Today is a beautiful day," says so-called "Julius Caesar." "There are no cars." Some Romans are pushing for a referendum to make every Sunday car-free in Rome. Many would like fewer cars during the work week as well. "We would really like to leave the car at home and commute to our offices by horse," says Stefano. But Earth Day's fun and games underscore a serious problem in Rome. The city's old, narrow streets were not designed to accommodate cars and buses. The metro system is limited, because tunneling in historic areas could damage archaeological treasures. Meanwhile, car pollution is eroding priceless works of art.</s>DARIO ESPOSITO, GREEN PARTY: Italians love a little too much their cars, and they want to go everywhere with their cars, which is impossible in a city like this.</s>YOUNG: The city government is considering plans that would shut off some historic streets to traffic permanently, an old solution to an old problem. (on camera): The streets of ancient Rome were so crowded that there was a law that carts and horses could not enter the city during daylight hours. (voice-over): So in some ways, not much has changed in Rome in 2,000 years, although there are certainly some new alternatives to getting around the Forum. Gayle Young, CNN, Rome.
Streets of Rome Traffic-Free for Earth Day