A travel journalist who visited Venice revealed they nearly faced an £86 fine after unwittingly breaking a little-known local rule. Joey Handler, a travel writer, spent six days exploring Italy, journeying through the iconic European nation and taking in several of its most celebrated cities along the way.
In one of their most recent articles, however, Handler confessed to having five regrets from their time in Italy, which formed part of a broader two week European adventure. Casting her mind back to October 2022, Joey recalled how she was stopped by the authorities in Venice for an act she had considered entirely harmless.
The incident, she explained, took place after completing a walking tour and heading out for lunch. After passing restaurant after restaurant, all of which were fully booked, she decided to cut her losses and purchase an ice cream before looking for somewhere to sit down, reports the Mirror.
It was the sitting down, however, that landed her in hot water. The Business Insider journalist explained: "I eventually cut my losses and stood in line for gelato before sitting on a shaded step to enjoy it."
She added: "As I was about to take my first bite, the nearby authorities waved their hands up and down at me - a gesture I could only take to mean 'get up'. And there I was, committing an etiquette violation that, according to the City of Venice, may result in a fine of 100 to 200 euros."
Tourists and visitors can be made aware of the regulation through local authorities as well as the municipal government website. Regarding this particular rule, officials stated: "Do not consume food and drink sitting on the ground, do not sit or lie down on banks and foundations, monuments, bridges, steps, puteals and high-water walkways".
"Fine: 100 to 200 euros DASPO - Urban banning order (offenders will be immediately banned from the place where the offence was committed)."
This means those caught breaking the rule could face penalties ranging from £86.74 to £173.48. The local authority has clarified why such regulations exist — which also include prohibitions on swimming in canals, littering, wandering about in swimwear, feeding pigeons and seagulls, cycling, and camping in public spaces — stating they are designed to protect the environment.
Officials explained: "Current regulations enforced by the Venice City Council Municipal Police forbid certain behaviour, in order to preserve urban cleanliness and landscape, and also for reasons of safety and public hygiene. The violation of such regulations involves the application of administrative fines – from €25 to €500."
These aren't the only charges visitors to Venice may encounter, as tourists must also pay an entrance fee which the city introduced in 2024. The levy stands at approximately €5 (£4.34) and initially applied on busy days between April and July before being extended.
However, Venice's new mayor Simone Venturini has discussed the prospect of raising this to €50 (£43.37). He told Corriere della Sera: "If today it ranges from €5 to €10, my proposal is to increase it to €30 to €50."
While the measure was partly a response to the enormous volume of tourists, critics have cautioned it risks betraying the city's very essence. Former mayor Massimo Cacciari went even further and demanded the scheme be scrapped entirely: "There is no other city in Italy or Europe where you have to enter with a ticket, as though it was a museum.
"It is barbarous, uncivilised and, in my opinion, against the constitution. It is simply obscene. I thought that Venturini would be more intelligent than his predecessor and would scrap the fee."
