Luca Bergamo becomes deputy to Mayor Raggi.

Rome's culture councillor Luca Bergamo has become the new deputy mayor of Rome, following the reshuffle of Mayor Virginia Raggi's inner circle by her party leader Beppe Grillo of the anti-establishment Movimento 5 Stelle (M5S).

Bergamo replaces Daniele Frongia who resigned in the wake of the controversy over the recent arrest of Raggi's close aide, the city personnel chief Raffaele Marra, on suspicion of corruption.

Grillo forced Raggi to sack Frongia and her top political adviser, Salvatore Romeo, in the fall-out from Marra's arrest and the resignation of her environment councillor Paola Muraro who is under investigation for alleged environmental crimes.

Muraro has been replaced by Pinuccia Montanari, a former councilllor in Reggio Emilia and Grillo heartland Genova, who has worked for years on environmental issues.

The appointment of the new deputy mayor was supported by a M5S majority, in line with Grillo's stipulation that the embattled Raggi could continue as mayor so long as she didn't make any “important decisions” without prior approval of party leadership.

Describing it as a “difficult week”, Raggi has pledged that her administration would “go forward ever more determined.”