You're going to have to cut your Venice canal selfie time down on your next visit, as the city recently introduced rules to keep its flow of tourists moving (and its monuments safe). As the Independent reports, the campaign, #EnjoyRespectVenezia, includes plenty of rules we stand behind: don't litter, don't camp inside the city limits, and don't ride a bike through the historic city center. But, a few others have us scratching our heads. You can't sightsee in a bathing suit—if you do you'll be fined $230—or spend too much time disrupting the flow of foot traffic. In fact, it is now "forbidden to stand without motivation," so you'll have to keep your bridge and sidewalk loitering to a minimum. The city hasn't gone so far as to release timing restrictions for, well, standing in place, but use your best judgement.
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After a group of Belgian teenagers dangerously jumped from Santiago Calatrava's famous bridge into the Grand Canal earlier this week, a jump that injured a Kiwi tourist last year, the rules also reiterate that taking a leap of a Venice bridge is banned. Swimming or jumping into the canal now comes with a hefty $500+ fine. The city also introduced a rule to keep tourists from eating street food in public areas, in an effort to ease crowding in places like the famous St. Mark's Square.
Venice has been fighting against overcrowded streets and canals for the last few years, discussing a tourist cap and putting a limit on the number of accommodations available to tourists. But, the iconic Italian city isn't the only one putting restrictions on tourists to help protect monuments. In June, Florence announced it would be spraying down its piazzas and fountains to keep tourists from sitting and snacking. Rome banned eating near its famous fountains and evening drinking in public, too.
Okay, we'll admit it. Some of these rules are a little fun-sucking. But, don't we all want Italy's historic cities to be around in 40 years and not worn down by tourists' trampling feet and misbehavior? The answer, without a second guess, is yes.