When in Rome: The Eternal City cracks down on bad behaviour

Fed up with misbehaving tourists and locals who exploit them, Rome’s city council has taken a get-tough approach on bad behaviour in and around the city’s many popular landmarks.

READ MORE: How to avoid looking like a tourist in Europe

The Associated Press reports that last week, Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi presented a new law targeting behavior such as eating or drinking or climbing on monuments, walking around partially unclothed and wading through fountains. In addition to visitors, the law also targets Rome residents looking to capitalize on the crowds of tourists, such as those who dress as Roman soldiers and demand money from tourists who pose for selfies with them.

Those caught breaking the rules will either be fined or banned from those tourist areas in which they were caught.

While many of the rules already existed in either a temporary form or were rarely enforced, a unanimous city council vote last Thursday night (June 6) made them permanent.

Rome is far from alone in drafting laws to crack down on tourist behaviours.

Last year, Florence issued an ordinance calling for fines as high as 500 euros ($575) for visitors who eat on sidewalks or in doorways at meal times near its landmark Uffizi Galleries. Venice in the past has banned tourists from eating in St. Mark’s Square unless they eating or drinking at the square’s pricey cafes.

And in Amsterdam, the city plans to ban guided tours of the red-light district.

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