bvlenci

The fine will follow them back to Germany.

dreamon

Just curious - would drinking a takeaway coffee (which I haven't actually ever had in Italy) and pastry in the same location have also incurred a fine? We've picnicked in many cities, although admittedly mostly in parks and not somewhere as busy as the Rialto bridge. What makes it a fineable activity?

kleeblatt

dreamon

Yes, but what made their behaviour special? Was it that they were picnicking? Or that they were actually making coffee rather than just drinking it? Was it because it was on the Rialto bridge as opposed to a quieter location? I don't think it was an especially appropriate place to make coffee but I'm not sure I understand what it was that triggered the fine. I'm not supporting what they did especially but I'd like to not fall foul of a (very expensive) rule like that.

BritishCaicos

Traveler_Nick

It's a bit of everything.

They basically setup camp including a stove. That basically breaks all the rules. Everything from blocking traffic to the open flame in the middle of a busy pedestrian place.

There are a few spots in Venice you're allowed to eat but I'm not sure any place really allows picnics.

They also received two fines. One each. Actually might have been a total of three. One for the woman at €300. €600 in total for the man. He likely got two fines.

Jean

Some of the rules with corresponding fines:

https://veneziaautentica.com/to-know...ing-to-venice/

The highest fine seems to be for buying from illegal vendors. 7000 euros plus confiscation of purchased goods.

panecott

>>>> The fine seems a bit draconian, but how could anyone think it would be OK to do this? >>>

I agree on both counts. Tourists need to respect the places they visit. These two, in particular, were old enough to know better.

>>> I think the days of the cruise ships in the Giudecca canal are numbered. The crash into a small boat in June, and a near incident with a yacht more recently, have convinced even their most ardent defenders that something has to change. >>>

Yes, I read this recently. I really hope something is done -- like banning all cruise ships. They are a blight on the beautiful city -- and a lot of other places as well.

bvlenci

Jean's list is pretty complete, but I've seen notices in Italian that say it's forbidden also to eat outdoors in some other parts of the city besides Piazza San Marco. It's also forbidden to sit on the steps of the Rialtro bridge, and the steps of other monuments and churches, or along the banks of the canals. So there may have been more than one infraction here. From the photo it appears that they had spread out much of the contents of a backpack at the foot of the bridge.

Last summer I read about a three-year moratorium on the sale of street food. I'm not sure it was put into effect. In Italy, there are often press releases about proposed legislation, but no news at all about whether it's been approved or rejected.

The fine is €500. It seems that they fined both people, or cited two offenses, but offered a 5% discount.

There are similar laws in Florence and Rome. Usually for mild offences, they just warn you and ask you to move along, or put your food away. I've heard that an ice cream cone is tolerated, as long as you're not sitting on a monument.

Traveler_Nick

Florence last year was using a firehose to wash down steps etc. Leaving them wet to deter campers

StCirq

The fine(s) do seem exorbitant. But honestly, what sort of idiot or blatant rule-defying politico sets up shop on the Rialto Bridge? It's bad enough that you can't even cross it these days without tripping over folks taking selfies.

sassy27

I got in trouble for sitting on a step while eating an ice cream cone in San Marco. I was over to the side and I wanted to people watch. I was just asked to move but wasn't fined or banned from Venice. I didn't know that wasn't allowed. Other people were also there but think I was the only one with ice cream. I don't think I saw any signs just people walking around monitoring. I would have had to pay to sit at one of the tables and spend more time than I wanted. Yes I bought my ice cream at a takeaway in San Marco.

i think you fine them that much and ban them is a little extreme but I guess that is the point.

Pepper_von_snoot

Maybe these geezers were performing a German version of Waiting For Godot?

Thin, aristocrat 🚲

bvlenci

From the Venice city webpage, here is the sign that's displayed.



I don't know exactly where it's displayed. And it doesn't show a camping stove or a moka, so maybe they assumed these weren't forbidden.

zebec

We do our best to be respectful travelers, but once made a quasi-related gaffe in Venice. We stopped to munch one of our energy bars beside a landing stage for gondoliers. If memory serves, it was near the Bridge of Sighs. Out of nowhere, one of them (the gondolier, not the bar) materialized, then approached to shame us about eating in an inappropriate place. We fessed up, apologized and moved on, but he kept haranguing us, even at a distance. One can understand the frustration of locals.
Je repete: see the doc 'The Venice Syndrome.'
I am done. The crumbs.

jc_uk

How on Earth have you managed to shoehorn a bit of racism into the argument?

BritishCaicos