Selfies Banned

Let's see if they actually enforce that anywhere. Like they enforce pickpocketing.

I hate selfies but I have to admit watching people self-pose cracks me up sometimes.

My sister lives near a popular selfie spot in Australia - Wedding cake rock in Royal National Park. It has recently been fenced off as one too many selfie takers have managed to fall off the cliff while manoeuvring for the best shot and emergency services are sick of having to rescue people.

As if Potofino isn't crowded enough! I hate those selfies too. They were out of control in Asia several years ago and I hear it has gotten worse. Good for them for trying to control this behaviour!

We watched a young woman on the boat ride in Annecy who had her back to the scenery the entire time and was making a long selfie movie of herself.

Only selfies banned, or all photography? As for the TOL, I believe that ALL photography is banned around the crown jewels collection, specifically for security reasons.

Okay, everyone line up! Walk, Walk, Walk, Walk. What a lovely holiday. Sounds like Plitvice lakes.

Maybe someone will invent an unobtrusive rear-view mirror to mount on the phone so selfie takers can "see" what's behind them. But, come to think of it, that's the view on the phone itself -- what their head doesn't block.

A whole lot of judgement going on here about selfies……. It is pretty outrageous to assume you understand the motivations of everyone taking a picture of themselves.

Never bothered me. Live and let live. now the people that wear backpacks in crowded places ............ that's another issue!

If someone falls off a cliff taking a selfie, doesn't that just prove Darwinism?

There's a video of Sir Paul McCartney nearly being run over at the Abbey Road crosswalk

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tC9pfzOQPcA

I love photography, but have NEVER taken a selfie.

I am 75 and it just seems foolish to me.

If you’re alone and too shy to ask for help, I can see someone wanting a selfie. But only one and make it quick.

I have no problem with normal people taking quick selfies. DH and I do it all the time.

What irritates me is the "influencers" with their entourage hogging the nice view for ages as they pose and carry on.

Last year in the small Spanish town of El Burgo de Osma there was a guy taking dozens of photos of his girlfriend at places throughout town. Everywhere we went he was there taking photos. I thought it must be for a special occasion since he took so many. So I asked what the occasion was and she said she liked posting them to Instagram. From then on I referred to her as Instagram girl.

Specific behaviors can be banned, but not being a general schmuck is impossible to enforce.

A different article about this and other fines.....walking the Cinque Terre paths in flipflops or sandals, for example.https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/22/as-la-dolce-vita-turns-sour-thanks-to-overtourism-hotspots-are-turning-away-their-visitors

It’s a sad commentary on travelers today that common sense (not wearing sandals in Cinque Terre) and simple good manners have to be legislated and somehow enforced.

What irritates me is the "influencers" with their entourage hogging the nice view for ages as they pose and carry on.

Yes, Andrea, exactly! Add to that people who stand in front of an artwork, blocking the view, and text on their phone.

I totally agree with Andrea and Laurel.

Don't forget the groups of people standing in front of a view who then change their clothes and take more pictures. And the incredibly bored people (after taking their selfies, I assume) only looking at their phones sitting on all the benches in the museum.

Oh, yeah, the wife and I ask people to take our pics all of the time, and of course we are more than willing to reciprocate.

But we take the picture and move.

I love love love talking with other travelers, helping each other out with clarification on trains, food, directions, laughing at our confusion, but I do not consider these obnoxious influencers as travelers, and I agree that their behavior is extremely narcissistic and disruptive and disrespectful to the travelers who are there to respect and appreciate the location. The dancing and carrying on and the hundreds of pictures they take in just one spot, come on!

With that being said, my husband and I are the average schmuck (so lovingly referred to by a previous poster) and we have a selfie stick because we want more than just our big old faces in the picture, we can aim it high and get all the beautiful background as a reference point of the picture. In this day of thievery and scammer I never know who to trust with my camera/phone as the selfie stick is a security issue also. We have pictures in Paris from 8 years ago and we look so much younger! LOL..we are both much fitter now, but still our youthful faces.

Let's see if they actually enforce that anywhere. Like they enforce
pickpocketing.

Brilliant!

What's next, banning phones? We were in Herculaneum yesterday and if you want the site's audio guide you download it to your phone. Herculaneum was crazy-crowded and people were constantly blocking the path of others by stopping to play with their phone to get to the next clip, then stopping to use their phone to take a photo, then back to the audio......

Lol @Mary were we on the same boat? A selfie is one thing but having people do 40 different poses is ridiculous.

When I take a picture or use the phone as a guide, I step out of the flow of traffic for a moment. Sometimes those tourist site apps are maddening when you have to start/restart it.

Let's see if they actually enforce that anywhere. Like they enforce pickpocketing.

So true.

What will the idiots who only travel so we can see them in front of things do

If you really want to upset these selfish toddlers just refuse to move so they can get their shot. I watched a group of French teen boys reduce one “influencer” to tears simply by sitting down on the steps in front of the Paris Opera. They just would not move while she froze in her totally inappropriate outfit for her shots.

@Carol, I may just start to do that, but I will admit, I rarely run into these obnoxious ones. I did revel in dashing a woman's plans to photograph in the Musee d'Orsay despite all the No Photography signs. It was being renovated, everything was mashed into one area with little room, and it was when phone photography wAs in its infancy. I am not a small person, so I just stood in front of her everytime she backed up for a photograph. She was not amused, but I was; and when we finally saw a security guard I happily pointed her out. I left as he told her to put her phone away or leave. Not my finest moment, but I could live with it.

I am sure that I have experienced it; just can not recall when. With the joy of travel, those things just dont stick in my head. Besides, if need be, I can wait 3 minutes.

If I want a great photo of the Eiffel tower, I will download one. If I want a memorable picture of the Eiffel Tower I need to be in the picture; or someone I love needs to be in the picture. Without selfies how do I get in the picture? Am I supposed to disconnect the cable that holds the phone to my skivvies and then hand it to a stranger? If I want to hand it to a stranger I will just leave it on the corner of the bar.

” Those who spend too much time in the zones could be fined €275, or roughly $305, the outlet reported.”

This sounds like they’re directing it to the Instagramers who take up a lot of time taking a lot of photos, reviewing them in the prime spot and then taking more photos. Plus, they take up a lot of space with their accompanying duo photographers.

My adult daughter & I saw several of them last year in the more touristy locations in Italy. The sad thing we noticed was that they arrived & immediately stepped into their space, took many photos, reviewed them, etc. and then immediately headed to the next location without pausing to actually enjoy the site or go inside it. And one in Amalfi completely ignored a wedding party ascending the steps of the cathedral, continuing to only focus on more inappropriate poses for the site & situation.

Well done, MariaF. Well done.

This sounds like they’re directing it to the Instagramers who take up a lot of time taking a lot of photos, reviewing them in the prime spot and then taking more photos. Plus, they take up a lot of space with their accompanying duo photographers.

I think you're probably right and it does seem rather self obsessed when it goes on and on and on with little to no apparent regard for those around you. I travel alone, so while most of my pictures are of sites, once in a while I try to get a nice shot of me with something amazing in the background. I don't take good selfies, so I usually just click away like crazy, take lots, then hope maybe one turns out and I delete the rest. I have one picture of myself at the top of the duomo in Florence last March. I was there as the sun was setting and there were very few people up there with me, so I had a prime spot. When I look at that picture now I remember how afraid I was to travel alone overseas and how at that very moment I was so filled with joy, peace and pride in myself for facing those fears (with lots of help from the people on this forum) and realizing it was all worth it.

I've run into only a few and just walk the other way. Annoying.

But the real problem is the visual pollution created. For example Mary couldn't experience the site because "We watched a young woman on the boat ride in Annecy who had her back to the scenery the entire time and was making a long selfie movie of herself." Distracting. How many opportunities will Mary have to repeat this boat ride but without the distraction? Of course, Mary could have changed places away from these polluters, but it did take up some of her vacation energy..

And "having people do 40 different poses is ridiculous." Blocking and distracting for 40 poses. What gives them the right to take other peoples' spaces?

Jaime said "Last year in the small Spanish town of El Burgo de Osma there was a guy taking dozens of photos of his girlfriend at places throughout town. Everywhere we went he was there taking photos. I thought it must be for a special occasion since he took so many. " Again distracting others from the sights.

"Don't forget the groups of people standing in front of a view who then change their clothes and take more pictures" Again blocking others. Privatizing the space for themselves rather than thinking of the community.

I do have one question: we tolerate this when we run into a TV or movie crew. Why? Is it because they have paid the locale for the use of the location? Reserved it for a set number of hours? Does this lack of legal contract also add to the frustration people feel when they are suddenly hapless, involuntary onlookers?

Nick, I was in Italy last June for over three weeks and didn’t see any Instagramer behavior. Then when I went to Italy in September with my adult daughter, we saw it in every city except Ferrara. My daughter noticed it first because it was so intrusive when she wanted to take a photo and was waiting….and waiting.

The difference? My June trip didn’t include any of the main tourist cities except Venice where I was mostly wandering away from the crowds. Our September trip covered the main sites since this was her first time to Europe.

I wonder how widespread it actually is?

I'd never noticed either until my current trip in Sorrento and my wife has been pointing them out and calling them Instagram Girls. We haven't seen any with a posse in tow, but they're all over. My wife says they are a type, young, usually thin, tall and pretty, dressed to the 9's and inappropriate shoes for a day of walking. She's right, duck faces and poses everywhere. We just left a restaurant where an Instagram girl was laying across a bench in the restaurant's garden in a seductive pose while her boyfriend took photos.

I do have one question: we tolerate this when we run into a TV or
movie crew. Why? Is it because they have paid the locale for the use
of the location? Reserved it for a set number of hours? Does this lack
of legal contract also add to the frustration people feel when they
are suddenly hapless, involuntary onlookers?

Look for me in a zombie movie. Somehow I turned off a side street and walked a while before i realized all the people around me were zombies and there was a camera looking down on us. It was late, so i fit right in.

I'm a millennial myself, so I have a few "wow, look I'm here!" selfies in my phone as I traveled alone last fall, but I'm generally camera shy, so it's an unfair comparison to my fellow millennials who harbor thousands.

I was in Edinburgh last year and my son and I strolled through Dean Village peacefully. Since then the algorithm has brought us quite a few Gen. Z "cottagecore" posts with Dean Village as a backdrop. Related or not (I suspect yes), when I returned this March with my partner, as we rounded the corner, it looked like a SNL sketch of tiktok tourism. There must have been 25 people on a tiny footbridge, all angling with their selfie sticks to avoid the appearance the others were there.

My partner and I did get a kick out of the "husbands of instagram". It's maybe an unfair stereotype, but the browbeaten men in Italy, laying on the ground, climbing onto rocks, standing in the middle of streets while holding purses and jackets and the like were hard to miss and there were quite a few of them. Who am I to say they didn't love every minute... right?
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@Nick
The "rubbish places" comment is cracking me up. Probably, if you took selfies and posted them on tiktok, those places would get swamped too.
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@Mister E
I generally take your position on both topics, as I have almost been taken out by a large backpack on a number of occasions. But I would deal with those a dozen times before my least favorite of all baggage types... the spread-eagle-double-rollers. -100000 points when it's a couple, side by side. I watched one such couple singlehandedly cause a backup at CDG.

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@Letitzia
I do not have a selfie stick as I have 4 teenagers who carefully monitor my level of "cringe". That said, I also look like Jay Leno (no offense) in my selfies as a result. Carry on shamelessly, sister!
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@Bets
That's a fascinating thought. I imagine if I were being paid well to travel around to beautiful places and all I had to do was take some photos and post them to tiktok, it might be quite tempting! Movies are an industry too... although they eventually (theoretically) result in enjoyment for the general public. Now that I type that, I realize there are tiktoks and instagram posts getting more views than many a movie!

Well, there is common courtesy to wait while a person takes a photo with the international understanding that we are all taking turns and getting the shot we want and moving on. There is no need to get into the space of a honeymooning couple trying to get that Trevi Fountain shot, or the younger folks getting that fun loving group photo on a school trip or girls trip. Why spoil their fun? Gone are the days of Film in a camera where you only get those 35 (36?) photos...we can take 25 pictures in 25 seconds and yes we want to them all to look slightly different right, so we can find the right one, so smiley face, serious face, hugging, back to back...may look silly to onlookers but as long as it is done in your time allotment what do I care? Sometimes groups can take a little longer to get organized, especially if there are older ones, so some patience is required.

It agree it is sad to see influencers more concerned with getting a picture of themselves rather than enjoying the destination, but if that is how they want to spend their money and time, no sweat off my back as long as they are just sitting in one space doing their thing. I think we can all logically decipher between influencers with obnoxious narcissistic behavior from the average tourist just trying to get a good photo.

Maybe many Italian cities will institute ZTL zones - Zelfie-Taking Limitado.

Months after you get home, a photo of a ticket shows up on your phone, or maybe several images of the ticket, taken from different angles.

Another ticket could be issued for PUI - Photographing Under the Influencer.

@sleight the spread-eagle-double-rollers. -500000 points when it's a couple, side by side taking selfies.

My issue with selfies are the people that stand there for pose after pose. Take your shot and move on. There are many who just want a picture of the site and don’t want others in it.

We were on the Jungfraujoch , in the snow, when a gal was setting up a tripod to film herself. She was alone, and dressed in a short midriff top, sandals, and no coat or jacket. Sandals in the snow! It was a very cold, but sunny day, and we were bundled in gloves, scarf, and down jackets. At least she must have suffered for her insanity.

Wow, a lot of venting here. My wife and I do take selfies but we are quick ,mindful of others and use an outstretched arm rather than a stick. Mostly I find the selfie addicts and influencers either a mild irritant or amusing. IE ridiculous and narcissistic. If that is all care about, that is their loss ,not mine What I don't like is the lack of common courtesy when they hog the space, oblivious to others.
But it is not limited to selfie takers. Some large tour groups hog space and are oblivious to other as they congregates.

Yes…when the selfie takers seem to ignore the beautiful scenes around them drives me buggy. It’s more about their pose and features. I had someone ask if I would take their picture. I was nice and did. There was a brick wall behind them….nothing more. 🤷‍♀️

The "selfie stick" people irritate the hell out of me - hating selfie takers using just their phone just takes up too much energy. We were on a small-group day tour with an otherwise lovely couple. But the lady wanted the gentleman to take a picture of her jumping in the air at every single spot.

I've taken high school kids on dozens of various field trips.

Of course they can "have fun and be kids," but there is no excuse for being rude and inconsiderate of others. The world does not revolve around you. As Lou Holtz noted, the difference in football players yesterday vs today is the former focused on their responsibilities, and the latter on their rights. The sense of entitlement is ridiculous.

Take a picture and move. It's not complicated.

Estimated Phrophet- I love my selfie stick! Otherwise, the picture would just be of our big old faces...we can do that at home. The selfie stick allows perspective of where we are, the background, and allows a much bigger picture of the scenery. I can also fit a lot more people in my picture. We recently went to Disneyland, and I could take a group shot of us walking without having to stop and pose.

I have a Gimbal for my iphone that I use for Selfies. Why do I take selfies? Because I have found when I have others (namely husband) take a picture of me, it is the worse possible angle, feet are cut off, background distractions, etc. I'm not looking for that instagram moment, I just want a picture of me on vacation that isn't hideous.

When I take pictures of others, I take a few seconds to get a good angle, decent light, and pay attention to the background. They have a nice picture that is worthy of a shutterfly moment. I am just tired of being treated like an inconvenience when I ask someone to take a picture of me. I know with my gimbal I'm getting a good shot and I don't have to deal with disappointment both from a picture point of view and the emotional aspect of my picture opportunity being dismissed as unimportant.

“A race towards a tourism of “likes” - an interesting article on Italy’s controversial new campaign which promotes what the ban is trying to eliminate:

https://www.italymagazine.com/featured-story/open-meraviglia-campaign-mess-italy-deserves-better?utm_source=ITALY+Magazine+Newsletter&utm_campaign=51b0b6fa89-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_01_06_05_16_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-1a5bda631b-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D&mc_cid=51b0b6fa89&mc_eid=3f06215a7d

From the article that Jean posted:

“Too many people [are] wanting to experience the exact same thing
because they all went to the same websites and read the same reviews,”
she explains, which has created a mistaken belief “that if you do not
go to this specific bar or stay in this exact neighborhood, all the
money and time you spent on being here has been wasted, and you have
settled for something that is not as perfect as it could have been.”

I find it difficult to believe that we are such sheep that we don't think for ourselves and at least determine what interests us. But then I think of a question earlier this week posted on a Facebook site dedicated to travel in Italy-very similar in style to the RS Steves Europe Facebook Page. The person asked for advice on how to fit everything in to her 6 day Italy tour Everything was Naples to the Amalfi Coast and Capri, except Cinque Terra. She was flying into Rome and really wanted to see CT so she figured she'd stop on the way to Naples. She seemed genuinely surprised in her answer to comments that CT was not on the way.

Mo R--We have the same husband, lol! I love when our son is with us as he takes great photos. He said that when he was in college, the girls would tell him how to get the best angle etc.

Thx Mikliz97--- you cracked me up. What is it about husbands that somehow get the worst angle???!!! Your son is not a dummy and what a great way for him to endear himself to the ladies!!!