Published on Friday, September 21, 2018

Tourists face fines for sitting down or 'pausing on bridges' in Venice

Tourists in Venice could be fined for sitting in undesignated areas, pausing on bridges or attaching 'love locks' to monuments as part of new measures being discussed to deal with overcrowding.

The ideas, proposed by Mayor Luigi Brugnaro, will be voted on by the city council next month.

The mayor said: "The aim is to create more of a deterrent to people who think they can come to the city of Venice and do what they want, not respecting the city, urban decorum, and public safety."

Other proposals include bans on picnics unless they are in public parks, no excessive noise at night or between Venice's siesta time of 1pm-3pm, no feeding of birds, no riding or wheeling along of bikes and no busking, drawing or other art without a permit.

Breaking the rules could see tourists fined anywhere between €25 (£22) and €500 (£445), according to the city's official website.

Paola Mar, the councillor responsible for tourism, told Sky News people need to take the rules seriously.

"The message we have to get through is that we're not joking," said Ms Mar.

"If it gets about that people who do this kind of thing are fined, as well as it being flagged to their respective embassies, perhaps we'll be able to stop others copying."

The proposals are the latest in a list of measures to deal with the city's over-tourism problem, which also includes the banning of large cruise ships over 55,000 tonnes in 2021.

Venice's #EnjoyRespectVenezia campaign, which launched in summer 2017, highlights the message that tourists are welcome but they must follow the city's rules.

In April, temporary gates were installed at the ends of two bridges to keep tourists out if their numbers become too sizeable, but the gates were torn down by local protestors.