A travel journalist who travelled to Italy said they were nearly caught out by a rule introduced in the city of Venice to improve cleanliness
A journalist has talked about what happened when they visited Venice(Image: Emanuele Cremaschi/Getty Images)
A travel journalist who visited Venice said they nearly lost £86 after breaking a rule they didn’t know about. Joey Handler, a travel journalist, spent six days in Italy travelling around the iconic European country, visiting various popular cities en route.
However, in one of their latest pieces, they admitted they had five regrets from their time in Italy which formed part of a two week trip around Europe.
Reflecting on the trip, back in October 2022, the Joey touched on how at one point in Venice they were stopped by the authorities for doing an act they thought was innocuous.
Joey said the incident occurred after she had completed a walking tour and went for some lunch. Eventually, after passing full restaurant after full restaurant she said she cut her losses and bought an ice cream before deciding to sit down.
However, it was the sitting down that was the problem. The Business Insider journalist explained: “I eventually cut my losses and stood in line for gelato before sitting on a shaded step to enjoy it.
“As I was about to take my first bite, the nearby authorities waved their hands up and down at me — a gesture I could only take to mean ‘get up’. And there I was, committing an etiquette violation that, according to the City of Venice, may result in a fine of 100 to 200 euros.”
As well as being informed by the local authorities about the rule, tourists and others can also be informed by the local government website. On this rule, they said: “Do not consume food and drink sitting on the ground, do not sit or lie down on banks and foundations, monuments, bridges, steps, puteals and high-water walkways
“Fine: 100 to 200 euros DASPO – Urban banning order (offenders will be immediately banned from the place where the offence was committed).”
This means that offenders could be fined anywhere between £86.74 and £173.48 if they’re caught. On why such rules, which include not swimming in the canals, dumping rubbish, walking around in a swimsuit, feeding pigeons and seagulls, not cycling, and not bivouacking in public areas, are in place, the local authority say is to preserve the environment.
They explained: “Current regulations enforced by the Venice City Council Municipal Police forbid certain behaviour, in order to preserve urban cleanliness and landscape, and also for reasons of safety and public hygiene.
“The violation of such regulations involves the application of administrative fines – from €25 to €500.”
This isn’t the only charge people can face if they travel to Venice with tourists als facing an entrance fee which was introduced in 2024 by the city. This fee is around €5 (£4.34) and originally applied on peak days between April and July before being expanded.
However, the new mayor of Venice Simone Venturini, has talked about the possibility of increasing this to €50 (£43.37). He told Corrier della Sera: “If today it ranges from €5 to €10, my proposal is to increase it to €30 to €50.”
Whilst move was in part a reaction to the sheer number of tourists, opponents have warned it risks not being true to the city itself. Former mayor Massimo Cacciari went further and called for the scheme to be removed altogether: “There is no other city in Italy or Europe where you have to enter with a ticket, as though it was a museum.
“It is barbarous, uncivilised and, in my opinion, against the constitution. It is simply obscene. I thought that Venturini would be more intelligent than his predecessor and would scrap the fee.”