Traveling can be a beautiful thing, but if you’re visiting a place to tends to draw crowds—say, Rome—you’re bound to run into a few rude travelers. Rome is attempting to combat against said visitors by proposing a new set of rules targeted at promoting respectful experiences for all.
According to Lonely Planet, the rules cover a wide variety of actions. Among the banned activities are men walking around bare-chested, attaching “love locks” to local bridges, “overly-messy eating” near the city’s historic landmarks, and jumping into fountains around the city. Do any of these things and you could find yourself facing a hefty fine. Eating in a messy manner may be hard to judge, but there’s one activity where the rules are completely spelled out: how to drink from the public drinking fountains, known locally as nasoni. It’s no longer allowed to touch your mouth to the metal spout (yay!). To properly sip from the fountain, create a cup with your hands and gather the water from the stream.
Those planning a trip to Rome should also note that ticket-selling outside of tourist hot spots have also been placed on the proposed banned list and any tour operator that say they offer “skip-the-line” experiences (think: The Vatican or the Colosseum) would no longer be allowed to offer these services. And don’t try to drag your suitcase along ancient steps, like the Spanish Steps—this would also be banned. If these rules are solidified, you won’t find any entertainment on public transportation, as anyone busking and singing or playing instruments would also be fined.
These new behavior rules expand past visitors: Locals have also been banned from drying laundry on lines located between buildings, something that has been done for generations.
And it’s not just Rome that’s adopting rules like this. This initiative is just part of a country-wide push to create a more enjoyable experience for all—as well as preserving the sited for generations to come. There’s no word on how much the fines will be or when these new rules will be imposed, but Lonely Planet does share that there will be increased police patrolling popular tourist areas.
