Modesta Valenti

Modesta Valenti (* 1913 ; † January 31, 1983 in Rome ) was a homeless person who died due to failure to provide assistance and who became famous in 2002 by naming an unusual street with her name.

The bag lady Modesta Valenti lived in the area of the Roma Termini train station in Rome before her death . During January 31, 1983, the 70-year-old's health deteriorated rapidly and an ambulance was called by passers-by . But he failed to help the homeless because it was too dirty and obviously the seriousness of the situation was not recognized. Modesta Valenti died four hours after the ambulance service arrived.

Via Modesta Valenti

When Via Modesta Valenti is a virtual street in Rome . It is not a real street and serves as a “virtual home” for currently around 1,000 homeless people.

In Italy, you need to apply for social security a fixed residence . On February 27, 2002, the city of Rome and the Italian railroad Trenitalia introduced the virtual street to offer homeless people permanent residence on paper, which entitles them to claim all the benefits of a citizen with real permanent residence.

Web links

• The Guardian across the street