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Ya'll behave yourselves in Rome, hear?

Posted by (Minnesota 🎒) on

There have been a number of recent news articles about some new rules/regulations in Rome and a promised effort to better enforce some - like bans on wading in the fountains - which have already been on the books for awhile. Some affect locals as well. Just a few of the pieces I've seen:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/07/rome-clamps-down-on-tourists-uncouth-behaviour

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/06/07/rome-launches-crackdown-messy-eating-jumping-fountains-tourist/

https://www.apnews.com/b13ef5e758154bfe8ca4dc9436584e5f

http://www.traveller.com.au/rome-new-rules-for-tourists-ban-on-bare-chests-sucking-on-drinking-fountains-and-eating-in-public-h1f7vc

Obviously it won't be possible to catch EVERY tourist putting lips on nasoni, and the new regulations banning hanging laundry on overhead wires will be tough on some of the locals (and sadly put an end to some colorful snapshots). Chasing away roaming ticket/tour sellers and gladiator touts? The authorities can't be everywhere at once, and I believe they tried to ban the gladiator touts once before so we'll see how it goes this time, eh? I also wonder how much signage some of this is going to involve, e.g. "No wheeled strollers or bags on these steps!"

Anyway, I haven't located a source for the complete list in Italian but maybe some of our more fluent speakers can lay hands on one.

Posted by
2121 posts

Just because there are rules doesn't mean they'll be enforced. Rome is pretty much my favorite city on Earth--it takes my breath and my heart. But I'm a realist and from observation I can tell that aside from the military presence at all the embassies--and they don't mess around, you can't even joke with them--I would surmise these new rules are more guidelines than something that'll get you thrown in the pokey.

Although they have stepped it up a little recently, the bus pass thing was flagrantly dismissed by locals for years, hopping on the back of the bus for free at all hours. And at Fiumicino, any 'police' were far more concerned with how they look to the opposite sex than thinking about helping folks out.

Posted by
145 posts

Jay,
I noticed that Italian police (male and female) are the best looking in any country I've visited. Not sure if that's part of the hiring process, but it does make people watching more pleasant.

Posted by
16687 posts

Graffiti doesn't appear to be on the new list of concerns, although I'm very sure it's already illegal and darn difficult to prevent. It's also just as prevalent in some other areas of Europe we've been to so not just an Italian thing.

Monty, random Carabinieri made very attractive snaps for my Canon!

Posted by
11827 posts

Good rules. Too bad civility has to be spelled out, isn’t it?

Lack of civility is not limited to tourists. As a former resident, I would have liked to see law enforcement attend to illegal parking in neighborhoods. Parking in pedestrian crossings and on sidewalks impedes walking down the street safely and ties up traffic unbelievably.

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