Italian environmental association Legambiente has called on the newly-elected mayor of Rome Ignazio Marino to tackle the capital's "illegal" night-time noise levels.

Tests undertaken by the group, in collaboration with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, demonstrate that for the third consecutive year the capital's noise levels in many areas of the centre are well above the legal limit of 55 decibels.

The results of the survey, taken on the night between Friday 21 and Saturday 22 June, reveal that the loudest street in the city is Vicolo del Cinque in Trastevere, which recorded a volume of 80 decibels, a level of noise comparable to an aircraft taking off.

Dina Nascetti of Vivere Trastevere, the volunteer association that works for the preservation of the Trastevere quarter, says that residents of the street "do not get to sleep until 04.00 or 05.00 in the morning." Nascetti said that an entire apartment block has filed an official complaint to police over the volume of music being played in local bars at night.

At 78 decibels, the next loudest street was Via Madonna ai Monti in the central Monti district; 77 in Campo de' Fiori; and over 67 decibels in Piazza delle Coppelle between the parliament and Piazza Navona.

Monti-based Green party councillor Nathalie Naim, who has made a name for herself by protesting over the noise issue, says "The noise renders these places uninhabitable, with serious consequences for the life and health of families who live there. The damage caused by lack of sleep is now proven."

In recent years many residents living near the Tiber have also complained of excessive noise from the bars set up for the Lungo il Tevere initiative which takes place every summer and this year runs until 1 September.