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Florence, Italy says 'Il Duomo' can do without golden arches

November 4, 2016

The birthplace of the Renaissance, as well as many of its finest artists and sculptors,just can't swallow the idea of the golden arches of McDonald's peaking outfrom its art-adorned skyline. The result? McDonald's Corp. has filed a $20 million suit against the city, which the Chicago-based mega-chain alleges is illegally attempting to keep it from locating within spitting distance of the famed Il Duomo di Firenze, or Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flowers. 

The 700-year-old architectural masterpiece and its historic 600-year-old dome, engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi, is a point of pride and world renown for the city, which passed a law earlier this year to stave off a continuing onslaught of mini marts and fast food spots around the area of the famous dome. The city stipulates in the new mandate that the area only be populated by businesses offering more Tuscan fare and other stipulations. 

But McDonald's set off a local rampage this past spring when the city's residents learned it wanted to open its 10th Florence restaurant right alongside the fabled dome. In fact, the Wall Street Journalarticle stated that McDonald's really wanted in, to the point of saying it would have waiters at the site and source most of its ingredients locally. The arches, however, would remain, according to the chain, and that didn't sit well with city fathers, who rejected the proposed restaurant. 

In October, McDonald's filed suit against the city calling its response "a manifest injustice."
In a statement released about the suit to the Wall Street Journal, McDonald's said, "We completely agree that the cultural and artistic heritage and the Italian historical town centers have to be protected. But we cannot accept discriminatory regulations that damage the freedom of private initiative without helping anyone."

The city, however, is keeping its stance as part of what is described as an overall Italian resistance to these types of decidedly non-Italian concepts, particularly those based on the whole idea of fast food, which many Italians see as downright unpatriotic.