Tourists Can Now Be Fined €500 For Eating A Sandwich In Florence
Snacking on a sandwich in Florence could possibly cost you €500. A new ordinance was put into effect today that bans eating on certain streets and plazas from 12:00-3:00pm and 6:00-10:00pm. Tourists and locals alike can be fined anywhere between €150 and €500 if they're caught eating while either standing on the sidewalk or sitting on the curb.
Posters distributed by the City of Florence indicate that it is forbidden to loiter or eat any kind of food on the sidewalks or doorsteps of shops and houses on Via de'Neri, Via della Ninna, Piazzale degli Uffizi or Piazza del Grano. The posters, written in Italian and English, were distributed to local businesses to display in their windows to warn of the new war on sandwiches. The ban was placed on the streets and piazzas that surround a popular panini spot, All' Antico Vinaio, which frequently has tourists queuing out the door.
Posters urge visitors to "respect residents, traders and workers of this street." The ban comes after residents demanded action to be taken on visitors who eat and leave their mess behind.
President of the Via de 'Neri committee, Roberta Pieraccioni, told Florence based newspaper, La Nazione, that volunteers of the National Observatory for Urban Security will patrol the area from Thursday to Sunday, during lunch time to report violators of the ordinance. Pieraccioni hopes that the ban will prevent the "hit and run" done by tourists who lack the respect that the local businesses and residents deserve.
The ordinance will remain in effect until January 6, when the ban will be reassessed for effectiveness.
