Italy’s Council of State has officially denied McDonald’s plan to put up an 8,600-square-foot restaurant with a drive-thru for $1.47 million at the Baths of Caracalla, an ancient site in Rome, for the protection of cultural heritage.”
The council has banned McDonald’s from the site in 2019, but the restaurant appealed that decision earlier this year.
In its ruling on December 28, the Council of State said Italy had the power to dictate what was set there because the baths are a UNESCO World Heritage site, which means that special authorization is required to build there.
Located at the heart of Rome, the Baths of Caracalla are over 1,800 years old and are named after an emperor who ruled between 198 CE and 217 CE.
The baths have thousands of daily visitors.
The Baths of Caracalla was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list in 1980.