NO drinking/eating in Piazza San Marco!
 

Venice enforces a new rule forbidding any food or drink consumption in the famous Piazza San Marco. Their excuse is that tourists loiter and bring garbage. Their numerous enforcers go around carrying printed warning in multiple language telling people to leave the square if they are eating a sandwich or drinking bottled water. They are quite merciless as they even forbid toddlers from drinking their bottled milk/water.

The good news is you can still drink and eat in the piazza if you sit in the open air cafes throughout the piazza. A Latte Machiatto however costs 9 euro while beer costs 12 euro. Ouch!

Good thing too.
Now, if they would get rid of those wretched pigeons ;-)

Are they still selling food for the pigeons?

How much did Florian PAY to get their patrons exempted from this I wonder?

You can also forget about resting/relaxing in San Marco. They also forbid tourists from sitting down on the steps/ground in San Marco except in the outdoor cafe seatings.

Birds are still allowed to loiter and be fed, probably because they haven't got a bird cafe menu yet. Obviously, greed is the only reason for the new rule just another way to squeeze more euros from the tourists.

http://www.travel-budget.com/italy/venice_tickets.html
"It's worth noting that the Venice municipality began a zero tolerance policy in 2005 to restore public decorum and is fining tourists 50 euros for removing their shirts and other supposedly "unseemly behaviour" including wearing tiny shorts or dangling feet in the canals. In other words, if you travel to Venice you should behave and dress well if you want to avoid a fine."
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/...n2927983.shtml
"A message to visitors to Venice: No bare torsos in St. Mark's Square. No lounging on the monuments. And no feet dangling in the canals. . . . Salvadori has had signs erected around the city advising visitors: Don't picnic in public places. Don't treat the canals as if they were a beach. Don't write messages for fellow travelers on the monuments. Violaters face fines of $67, and the city has deployed enforcement stewards. "
http://www.comune.venezia.it/flex/cm...N/IDPagina/144
" Are there any particular rules to be respected in Venice?
In accordance with Art. 12, 23 and 28 of the Regulations of the Metropolitan Police of the City of Venice for the St.Mark's area, you must not:
- lie down in public places
- sit or linger on the street to eat picnic lunches
- litter
- swim in the canals or in the st. mark's bay
- ride bicycles or other vehicles in the city
- perform unsafe or bothersome activities
- undress in public places
- walk about the city shirtless or in bathing suits.
Offenders will be fined 50 Euros. "

Much as I love Venice, and understand the problems faced by the city in terms of litter etc, I cannot help feeling this is about "Keeping Venice for the rich".

Not everybody can afford to sit at Florian but why should those who can be inconvenienced by having poor people loitering nearby ?

I think it's more because, unfortunately, thousands of people can't be bothered to throw their garbage in a garbage can. They drop it wherever they are. I had read earlier that Venice had a huge problem trying to clean up the mess left by inconsiderate people.

If littering is really their concern they can just fine those who litter instead of forbidding young toddlers from drinking bottled milk/water. This is much worse than the no littering fine in Singapore.

Good for Venice, often I have found places in Italy that have become a disgusting sight in comparison with some time ago, i.e. Piazza Spagna, the in Sienna the main piazza or Campo....people have no respect , eat, drink water, sit on the floor, ....is this time of everything goes, good manners are hard to find, common sense is gone, and political correctness is the way of life of many....I am glad that Venice had said enough is enough...

When did this rule go in effect? I certainly didn't see any "food police" there in October?

I did see sign on the trash cans asking people to use them..and sadly, if people have to be asked to use trash cans, they still won't and I personally would love to issue expensive tickets to litter bugs!

From what I have heard from my Italian friends who live in the Region of Veneto (which is the Region that Venice is located in) it is not that the authorities are trying to make life miserable for tourist but rather it is that some tourist have been making life miserable for the residents of Venice.

Unfortunatly we all end up paying the price when some people do not use good common sense and are not well mannered and thoughtful. And btw, it is not just American tourist that have caused the problem.

Now about those wretched pigeons MissPrism..I so agree with your comment.

LoveItaly :

how true !
In my home town some shops selling clothes now put signs on their door: "no eating or drinking inside".
It tells a lot...

One doesn't pay 10E for a Coke Light at Florian, one pays for the experience and the view. One of my favourite memories is sitting at Florian at night with a giant white moon in the sky drinking a pitcher of Chianti with my good friend, Heather. At fat lady in black danced with her husband whilst the band played Moon River. That is certainly worth more than 10E.

Thingorjus

I can't say I disagree with the rules as long as they apply to everyone, tourists and residents alike. I have on several trips been greatly dismayed to see grafitti and general filth through out Italy as a result of people with little respect for their surroundings. If you can't clean up after yourself or respect where you are then DON'T GO. I for one would appreaciate NOT having to deal with American or anyone that trashes where they vist.

Who cares?

Been there, done that, never again.

I just had dinner with a friend (here in NY) who is from Venice and has lived there all her life. I think most of us have an extremely limited understanding of the problems that Venetians have always faced in terms of thier infrastucture that are brought on by tourist traffic. Many business aren't owned by Venetian locals, and the bulk of tourist dollars don't go into their schools, medical facilities, or housing...it goes back into tourism services.

We didn't see this rule being enforced at all. We were in Venice July 15-19th and we were in Piazza San Marco a great deal since our apt. was a min. walk from the piazza. There were tons of people sitting on the steps (the end opposite the basilica) eating, drinking and no one stopped anyone.

Sadly, the people left their trash behind. It bothered me and my kids (who are very environmentally conscious).

They still do sell the food for those pigeons which my kids loved.

I think the biggest problem is that there aren't enough garbage cans around!! I think if there were one nearby then people would possibly trying the trashcan instead of being inconsiderate litterbugs.

<i>Not everybody can afford to sit at Florian but why should those who can be inconvenienced by having poor people loitering nearby ?</i>

Who knew the poor were taking holidays in Venice!? In my neighborhood, they live paycheck to paycheck and most certainly are not planning trips to Italy.

I believe this rule is just enforced starting this last week. It made the news just this week.