Additional reporting by Rita Sobot
Venice has been lambasted for its “ridiculous” new rules as the city in Italy continues its fight against anti-social behaviour. ASBO-type bans were introduced on 19 June and have seen officials hand out 100 fines and exclusion orders in just eight weeks. Along those penalised were a woman sunbathing in a bikini, three youngsters who bolted their bikes to railings by a canal and a couple who made their own coffee under a historic bridge. Detractors have been quick to criticise the harsh rules and how it could negatively affect tourism to the historic city.
Twitter users have called the news rules “draconian” and “unfair” while others threatened to boycott Italy and holiday somewhere more tolerant.
Venice authorities are standing firm, however, with Mayor Luigi Brugnaro keen to clamp down on “rude” visitors.
Brugnaro said: ”Venice must be respected and those rude people who think they come to the city and do what they want must understand that, thanks to the local police, they will be taken, sanctioned and removed.”
Exclusion orders – dubbed Daspo – will see tourists sent to the embassies and consulates of their countries of origin.
For those ordered to stay away from Venice city centre, bans can range between two days and two years.
The fines are usually around £300, plus another £80 for the issue of the Daspo.
Brugnaro warned: ”Our city will always be open and welcoming to all those who want to come and visit it, at the same time we will be intransigent with those who think they will come and do what they want.”
Officials have the right to punish tourists or locals for a raft of anti-social behaviour.
The 100 fines and bans under the new Police and Urban Safety Regulations included a penalty of around £800 for a German couple, aged 32 and 35, from Berlin.
The pair lit up a camp stove at the foot of the Rialto Bridge to make their own coffee, but, when spotted, they were escorted to a police station and given a removal order, as well as the fine.
Critics called the decision “ridiculous” and suggested it should be the cafes that should be fined for their high prices rather than the enterprising couple.
On another occasion, two Lithuanian citizens, a husband and wife, were sanctioned when police spotted them in a crowded plaza “pushing two scooters and creating obstacles and danger to pedestrian traffic.”
Three French tourists, in their early 20s, were also fined for bolting their bikes to the railings of a side street. Firemen were even called in to cut the chains with a grinding wheel.
A 42-year-old from Slovakia was fined and banned for being drunk in the street while a 23-year-old Canadian woman was fined £220 for wearing a bikini while sunbathing.
Police were also called when a tourist from Belarus was spotted bathing in a historic fountain.
The 41-year-old woman was fined and slapped with an exclusion order. She was ordered not to come back to the area within 48 hours.
According to Venice council, the expulsion orders are working and so far, no tourist has breached their Daspo.
Italy’s capital Rome also has very strict rules about what is and isn’t acceptable in the city.
In a “fascist-style” crackdown, police will now be patrolling famous monument the Spanish Steps to prevent people sitting down and even dishing out fines.
Sitting on one of the 136 Spanish Steps that lead up to the Trinità dei Monti church could see tourists fined €250 (£230).
They could also be forced to shell out up to €400 (£369) if they’re found to have dirtied or damaged the steps in their wake.
