ROME- Employees working in the Quirinal Palace, the official Rome residence of Italian President Sergio Mattarella, are said to benefit from rock-bottom prices for high-quality accommodation according to Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano.

 Electricians, drivers, press office workers, police officers and many others have been housed in 58 apartments by the Italian Presidency, all located at the doorstep of the palace, in the Trevi district, considered one of the most beautiful in the city.

 Italian President Sergio Mattarella, in an attempt to reduce these generous benefits, issued a presidential decree in August 6 that announced the freeing up of many of the apartments according to Il Fatto Quotidiano, who received a letter from the Quirinale press office.

 The letter added that only those who would need to be on call 24 hours a day would be eligible for those apartments. Given these exceptions noted in the letter, it is likely that the electricians, the cleaning manager, the logistics manager and the head of the Press Office will continue to benefit from the “discounted” apartments.

 As for the other lodgers, they will have to leave by 2017 and will pay an increased rent until then.  Whilst Matarella is still to decide who is eligible for the accommodation, the apartments remain occupied by dozens of workers for reasons unknown.

 Il Fatto Quotidiano branded the Quirinale “a place where spending was out of control,” and that Matarella’s attempts to cutting down such astronomical expenses is much like “emptying the sea with a spoon.”  The newspaper cited that the palace costs 224.5 million euros to the Italian state, with 765 members of security personnel and 1,636 general workers.