Romans are not pleased with this year's Christmas tree, which arrived in the city on Monday, as locals say they are experiencing de ja vu of the 'ugliest Christmas tree' of yesteryear
It's fair to say the Romans are nervously awaiting the big reveal of their city's annual Christmas tree after last year's notorious mishap, and things do not appear to be off to a brilliant start.
Back in 2017, Rome was sorely disappointed by its Christmas tree, dubbed "Spelacchio" by locals, meaning "mangy" in English.
This year, the city managed to secure a sponsorship from US streaming service Netflix for a tree costing €376,000 in the hope of avoiding the disappointment of 2017. But has it?
When this year's Christmas tree arrived at Rome's Piazza Venezia on Monday, the locals were less than impressed, leading some to dub the new tree "Spelacchio 2."
Throwing back to 2017, one Twitter user joked, "last year the Roman Xmas tree was dead on arrival. This year it just wishes it was."
Others simply questioned if fictional movie character Edward Scissorhands had been drafted in to help the set up.
But has Rome jumped the gun? A photo posted to Twitter on Wednesday by English language magazine 'Wanted in Rome' showed the tree slowly taking its shape. According to Netflix, the final piece will be ready to view on Saturday.