When in Rome, do as the good Roman tourists do and behave. If you act like a tyrant, a new law could ban you from parts of the Eternal City for up to 60 days.
Last month, Rome’s mayor signed legislation targeting disruptive conduct and harmful behaviors in the popular European destination, which received more than 9.5 million visitors last year. The order, which replaces a law from 1946, covers such infractions as late-night public drinking, bathing in fountains and defiling historical sites. It also grants local police greater authority to expel perpetrators from certain areas of the city. Repeat offenders could lose their visitation rights for an extended period of time.
“Bad behaviors are destroying the city and the old monuments in downtown,” said Sara Verde, chief executive operator and founder of Rome Tour Guide, which arranges tours of Rome and the Vatican with certified guides. “During the summer, people have baths in the most iconic fountains. The garbage attracts seagulls, and now Rome looks like a Hitchcock movie.”
The legislation covers several categories of comportment in various settings. For example, it is illegal to bathe your body parts — or your pet’s — in such waterworks as Trevi Fountain, the lion fountains in Piazza del Popolo, the Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza di Spagna and the Fontanone on Janiculum Hill. Also banned: Tossing garbage and liquids into the water, and climbing or lounging on the structures. (Throwing a lucky coin into the fountain is still allowed.) People who engage in such unacceptable acts risk expulsion from the area for two days. The no-bathing and littering rule also applies to the fountains, called nasoni, that burble throughout the city. Sipping from the public water fountains is permissible; using them like a personal bidet for your sweaty feet is not.
