The country is on a mission to squash bad behavior.
Italy is done playing nice. The country recently passed legislation to fine anyone who vandalizes its monuments or cultural sites from €10,000 to €60,000 ($11,000-65,000). The fine will be slapped on people who damage buildings. Criminal charges may also be levied.
This move comes on the heels of the March incident in which the mayor of Florence stopped environmentalists from spray-painting the historic town hall, the Palazzo Vecchio. The 700-year-old building is a symbol of the city. Environmental protestors have shown their discontent with policies via unconventional attacks at museums, including one at an art gallery in Florence last year when activists glued themselves to the glass of Sandro Botticelli’s 540-year-old painting Primavera. London’s National Gallery also faced angry environmental protests when two people threw soup at Van Gogh’s 1880 Sunflowers painting, then glued their hands to the wall.
Incidents of vandalism and damage in Italy aren’t limited to protestors. Ever since Italy opened up after the pandemic pause, travelers have flocked to the country. But bad behavior from foreigners continues to enrage locals. From surfing along the Grand Canal in Venice to drinking and eating at a 16th-century fountain in Rome to damaging the Spanish Steps with e-scooters, bad tourist behavior has invited hefty fines and condemnation from the authorities.
This March, an American tourist was fined €470 ($506) for driving a Ferrari in a pedestrianized square in Florence. The 43-year-old offender didn’t have an international driving permit and local authorities described his driving as “nonsensical.” Earlier this year, another tourist from the U.S. was fined for driving over the historic Ponte Vecchio, a 10th-century bridge that’s closed to vehicular traffic. He, too, didn’t have an international driving license and he had to cough up €500 ($545).
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New Rules to Manage Tourists
There have been several policy changes in Italy to ensure that the crowds are managed without disturbing local life. This month, the mayor of Portofino announced an anti-loitering rule in two red zones where people stop to take selfies and choke the streets. The fine for lingering in these beauty spots will be €275 ($304).
Last year, the Amalfi Coast implemented a rule that allows cars with odd number plates to access the road on odd days and cars with even number plates to use them on even days—locals were exempt and only busy spring and summer weeks were restricted. This was done to reduce traffic, which has become a nightmare with tourists flocking the coast in large numbers and causing long jams.
Related: Avoid Making These 8 Mistakes on the Amalfi Coast This Summer
Close to the Amalfi Coast, also on the Sorrentine Peninsula, is the popular tourist town of Sorrento that banned bikini-clad and topless tourists last year. Swimwear is for the beach, not when you’re out and about in the town, and fines of €500 are imposed on people who break this rule.
In Venice, a tax for day-trippers will be implemented soon. The new tax will apply to day-trippers and four scenarios will decide how much someone has to pay: Green Light, Yellow Light, Red Light, and Black Light depending on the number of people expected in the city. When the city is expecting a large number of daytrippers, it will cost them €10 per person to visit, while on a Green Light day when very few are coming, it will be €3. This system is planned to discourage tourism on heavy days and the tax will also help in the upkeep of the city.
The date of introduction was January 16, 2023, but it was delayed due to opposition from business owners and the council. There is already an overnight tax that people pay to hotels when they stay in the city for up to five days.
To protect the Venetian lagoon, the city has also banned large ships—weighing over 25,000 tons—from the city center.
Related: We Answer the 13 Most Frequently Asked Questions About Venice
Bad Behavior Continues
Bali is using a heavy hand with tourists who disrespect local culture and sights. It’s not uncommon for the island to deport unruly travelers. A Russian tourist who posed semi-naked at a sacred site of Mount Agung was deported when his picture went viral on social media. In fact, Russians are the most deported nationality in Bali this year.
The authorities have been vocal about kicking bad tourists out of the country—620 foreigners have already been shown the door so far this year—but the incidents keep coming. Most recently, an Australian woman was deported for arguing with the police over a $25 fine for not wearing a helmet while riding a bike. She had lived in Bali for 23 years. Another was arrested for posing naked with a sacred tree.
There will be other measures too. Bike rentals for tourists will be suspended due to misconduct and traffic violations; tourism campaigns with billboards explaining appropriate behavior are also in the works. The governor has controversially suggested putting an end to visas on arrivals for Russians and Ukrainians who are fleeing the war and setting up shops in Bali illegally.
But it’s not the only destination pointing fingers at a certain nationality.
A tourism campaign by Amsterdam is warning young British tourists who come to the city for drugs and alcohol to “Stay Away.” The city wants to change its image and it wants to turn away rowdy tourists who drunkenly trash their streets. By mid-May, many other changes are expected, including a cannabis ban in certain areas, restrictions on times of operation in the red light district, and the shutting down of bars and restaurants at 2 a.m.
Some of those fines seem like barely more than the price of admission for the perpetratrors.
Indeed. The fines should be higther and they should never be allowed into any EU country again.