In Rome, they’ve dubbed it “the War on the Sandwich.” Starting October 1, it is illegal to snack on or near any monuments in the Eternal City. Rome’s mayor spearheaded the new legislation.
According to NBC News, “Tourists will still be allowed to eat while they walk, but stop with a bag of chips in your hands or sit down while chewing on your panino, and you are eligible for a fine of 25 to 500 euros ($32 to $650).”
On the first day the law was in effect, two officers near the Colosseum fined seven tourists — and that was just in the morning!
“Eating on monuments can really get out of control,” Officer Magdi Adib told NBC. “Once I caught a group of tourists who set a table on the Spanish Steps, with table cloth and cutlery! This has to stop.”
What do you think about the “sandwich crackdown”? Leave a comment below.
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[…] The next time you’re in Rome, you better think twice before grabbing a panino or gelato and heading to one of Italy’s many historic monuments. New legislation went into effect October 1 that prohibits anyone from snacking near or on any of Rome’s famous landmarks. The legislation, dubbed “the War on the Sandwich” by Romans, calls for fines of anywhere from 25-500 euros. Mayor Giovanni Alemanno has had enough of “episodes in contrast with the most elementary norms of urban decorum,” and that snackers “[have] damaged monuments and artistic fountains…by dangerously dripping liquids” on them. On the morning of October 1, police had already fined seven tourists near the Colosseum. [ItalyTravel] […]