Venice city officials are asking tourists to not only enjoy — but respect — their historic city, and have imposed new rules to ensure travellers take them seriously.
The rules (known as Daspos), state visitors will be fined or forced to leave the city for disrespectful behaviour: if they sit or lie down in front of shops, historic monuments and bridges, wander around shirtless or in swimming costumes, and bathe or swim in the historic canals.
It's an extension of the #EnjoyRespectVenezia campaign introduced last summer, which banned visitors from littering, setting up picnics in public spaces, pausing too long on bridges and riding bikes through the city, reports Lonely Planet.
And don't think they're not enforced — two backpackers from Berlin, Germany were reported to police when they sat on the steps of the famous Rialto bridge and took out their portable stove to make themselves a coffee.
According to a statement issued by city authorities, the travellers were fined €950 (approximately R15 085) for "unseemly behaviour" and asked to leave Venice. It's the 40th time since May that visitors have been ordered to leave for disobeying the rules, they added.
‘’Venice must be respected,” says mayor Luigi Brugnaro, “bad-mannered people who think they can come here and do what they want must understand that — thanks to local police — they will be caught, punished and expelled. From now on, we will also communicate the identities of those subject to a removal order to their embassies and consulates.”
Planning a hen or stag party? You may want to take it elsewhere. Under the new rules, drinking alcohol on the street is forbidden between 8pm and 8am, and group celebrations are only permitted outdoors during the day or on weekends.
"Minor breaches of these regulations are met with fines starting at €25 (approx. R400), while more serious offences will incur the maximum €500 (approx. R7,945) penalty."
The new push to designate Venice as a Unesco World Heritage site and weed out unruly behaviour comes in the aftermath of a cruise ship crashing into the docks of the Giudecca canal in June 2019. Advocates of the protected status say it's needed to preserve Venice's fragile environment and protect its monuments for future generations.