Can you still picnic in Italian cities?

It's my understanding that these laws cracking down on picnicking are only in a few cities (Rome, Venice, Florence, perhaps a few similar places) and it only applies to the monuments. They don't want people eating on the Spanish Steps, the porch of the Pantheon, etc. It's still okay to picnic in the park and similar places.

You should be careful if you choose to picnic in cities in Italy. It's not just the famous places where you risk being shooed away. We were on the edge of what seemed clearly to be parking lot in Rome when we were told to pack up the picnic and move along (actually, the officer just used arm motion; I don't remember him even speaking), even though there were other people who had been doing just what we were doing nearby. We did not get a ticket or anything. We also, I think wisely, chose not to ask any questions about the picnic policies.

I think you can picnic in the parks. It's just in the piazzas that they're cracking down.

We picnic all over Italy, the cheapest way to "eat out!" But yes, they are cracking down on piazzas and monuments in Rome due to a law passed last October, - but inconsistently enforced - that there will be no eating or drinking on or near monuments. Like most laws in Italy, this one is "selectively" enforced. You will just be told to move on... I've never seen anyone fined.

The parks are great spots and we often head to Villa Borghese or Villa Ada in Rome. One restaurant in Rome even caters to picnics.... See this link: http://www.ginaroma.com/index_eng.shtml

Enjoy!