Zoo Signs

One thing that I love about Rome and will never forget are the many, many (many) Zoo signs. Apparently, there is a zoo in Rome...somewhere. I've never been there, even though its close to my house. I think we'll try to go before we leave. But this isn't about the zoo, its about the signs!

Someone at the zoo really wants people to know about it. I guess they need more people to visit. Part of their "marketing" campaign is directional signs around the city, pointing your way to the non-famous zoo. These signs are everywhere! You see them all over the downtown area, where most of the tourists are, but you also see them out in residential areas and other random places. They are literally everywhere! There are millions of them. That fact by itself is kind of amusing...but it gets better. The signs don't always point in the right direction! They point every which way and it would be very difficult to find the zoo by following signs. Two signs, only 1 block away from each other, point in different directions. Or, there is one sign pointing toward the zoo (miles away) and then nothing, for blocks and blocks. I don't think their campaign is very successful because anyone trying to find the zoo would give up in frustration long before they ever found it. And, if they tried to look at the map, they would be equally frustrated because on almost all maps of Rome, the zoo is labeled as the Bioparco. So, good luck finding the zoo!

I had an idea months ago to take a picture by all the zoo signs we could find and point toward the zoo (whether or not the sign was pointing the same direction). I still think its a great idea and the pictures would make a very hilarious album...but I just don't have the time. I don't have the time to walk around downtown and take hundreds of zoo sign pictures. Instead, I took pictures of the zoo signs I saw as I was walking home. Someday we'll visit the zoo and let you know if all the signs are worth it!!