New laws have now been officially introduced in Rome, seeing people caught sitting, eating, or drinking on the Spanish Steps fined up to $400 Euros or $650 Aussie dollars.
We’ve previously reported on these tough new laws coming into play in Rome in a bid to stop sloppy and disrespectful behaviour from tourists.
But it’s time to seriously get your clients up to speed on the changes – because the fines are officially being enforced.
The Associated Press is reporting that police officers in yellow vests have started pulling tourists into line who break the rules on the famous marble steps built in the 1720s.
Italian tourist Tommaso Galletta told the AP that he disagreed with the sitting ban.
“There was a child sitting who was tired, sitting down with his father a few minutes ago, and the traffic officer asked them to stand up,” he said.
Others took no issue with the ban.
“If we have to follow the regulation, we have to follow it. We do not have a problem with that,” said Jurgen Meier, a German tourist.
Image: Spanish Steps by AP.
The ordinance also applies to inappropriate behaviour at other famous sites in Rome such as the Trevi Fountain.
While the city government said the law has been applied in full since June, it wasn’t until this week that police officers in yellow vests were seen telling people to get up – or cop a fine.
Italians say they have been getting more and more fed up in recent years with the ‘disgusting’ conditions in the capital, and many are in favour of a crackdown.
You can read more about the new regulations here.