Rome mayor’s claim of swimmable Tiber in five years met with scepticism

Marco Fois dives into the Tiber from the Cavour Bridge, part of a longstanding New Year’s Day tradition. Swimming in the river is otherwise prohibited. Photograph: Claudia Greco/Reuters

Rome hopes to welcome swimmers back to the River Tiber within five years, the city’s mayor has announced, drawing inspiration from Paris, where the Seine was reopened for public bathing this summer for the first time in a century.

During a visit on Thursday to the Osaka Expo in Japan, Roberto Gualtieri said a working group had been set up to study the feasibility of the clean-up project.