The tiny Italian village of Varenna on Lake Como has banned walking around town shirtless or in swimwear, imposing fines of between €50 (around AUD$80) and €200 (around AUD$330) for those who fail to comply.
Travellers heading to Varenna in Lake Como now face fines of up to €200, where authorities have banned wandering the village bare-chested or in swimwear as the latest Italian destination to clamp down on unwanted tourist behaviour.
The rules reserve swimwear and bare chests for lakeside beaches and boat trips on Lake Como only. Anyone caught flouting the dress code in the village faces paying the fine.
What else has changed for visitors
The tiny fishing village in Lombardy, home to a year-round population of roughly 650, has been straining under an increasing number of visitors.
Beyond the dress code, tour groups are now limited to no more than 25 people and must not clog Varenna’s narrow cobblestoned streets. Guides have also been banned from using loudspeakers.
The measures are aimed at preserving the village’s appearance and protecting the peace of its residents.
Varenna Mayor Mauro Manzoni said the village welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world each year.
“Varenna is a wonderful village, and we are proud to welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world every year. However, our residents’ quality of life cannot be sacrificed on the altar of mass tourism,” Manzoni told The Guardian.
The changes appear to have been widely embraced by locals, especially the dress code. One shopowner told broadcaster Mediaset’s TGCom24: “On the beach, you can do what you want, but when you’re walking around and go into shops, restaurants, churches, or in the square, you must dress decently.”
Part of a wider Italian crackdown
Varenna joins a growing list of Italian towns and cities managing overtourism with clothing codes and etiquette rules enforced by fines, such as Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast and Portofino on the Italian Riviera, along with other measures, including capped visitor numbers at Pompeii.
In 2022, the then mayor of Sorrento described walking around in swimming gear and bare-chested as “widespread indecorous behaviour” that tainted the town’s image and imposed hefty fines.
“These types of behaviours can be considered as a cause for unease and discomfort for both Sorrento residents and tourists,” he said.
“In this way we want to protect and improve the worthiness of living, quality of life and the decor inside the city centre and public spaces.”
In Liguria’s upmarket coastal town of Portofino, selfies were banned in 2023 and certain areas were designated “no-waiting zones” to deter tourists from loitering too long in one spot.
KARRYON UNPACKS: Italy remains a staple of the European itineraries Australian advisors sell each summer, and Lake Como sits firmly on the luxury circuit. Knowing about Varenna’s new dress code and tour-group caps at booking spares clients an awkward fine and marks the difference between an advisor who knows the destination and one selling from a brochure.
