Food - News
Why An American Tourist Was Fined For Eating Ice Cream In Rome
By HOPE NGO
Eating, drinking, and loitering around designated UNESCO heritage sites in Italy is illegal, and violating these laws can get you fined up to $450 — something an American visitor in Rome learned the hard way. The tourist was having ice cream and beer while sitting by the Fontana dei Catecumeni, a centuries-old fountain, when the police charged him for breaking the law.
The police issued a fine for breaking the “urban decorum” law when the tourist refused to move from the Fontana dei Catecumeni area (located at the heart of a square in Rome's Monti neighborhood). In 2019, Italy passed the “urban decorum” laws as an update to the 1946 statutes, and they include a ban on street drinking, bar hopping, or swimming in designated city fountains.
Dressing like a centurion is also banned, as is drinking out of a glass container in a public area after 10 p.m. Rome’s city council said the rules are for “respecting the artistic and cultural heritage of the capital.” Although enjoying ice cream and a beer might not be as bad as vandalizing historical sites, the law is still the law.