In power for two years, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has initiated many reforms aimed at invigorating the anemic economy, including his flagship overhaul of the constitution, which was approved by parliament this past week.
But the woes of a major infrastructure project right under his feet reveal how much still must be done to get Italy back on track.
Rome's Metro C was meant to link the city's two main cathedrals in time for the Holy Year in 2000. Sixteen years later, the underground line has not yet reached the first church and might never make it to the second, St. Peter's Basilica.