If you are a fan of the 1953 classic film Roman Holiday you probably want to walk the same Spanish steps that its stars Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn walked when you visit Rome. Walking up or down the steps is okay, but just don’t plan on sitting down on them. It could cost you hundreds of dollars in fines.
This Spanish Steps regulation is just one of the many that have been passed recently by Rome’s Mayor Virginia Raggi and the Roman government in an effort to curb bad behavior by its residents and tourists alike. These regulations include fines for cursing in public and swimming in the historic fountains throughout Italy, including the Trevi.
The Spanish Steps, known in Italian as Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti, are 174 steps located between the Piazza di Spagna and the Piazza Trinità dei Monti. They are featured in an iconic scene in Roman Holiday where Hepburn sits with Peck on the steps and eats an ice cream cone. Fans of the movie have tried to recreate that scene and left dirty ice cream stains, which forced Raggi to call for a ban on sitting on the steps, which are considered a monument.
The fine can go up to $450 — that’s a lot of ice cream cones. Instead, take a walk, take a selfie and move on.
By Kathy McCabe
Photo: www.flickr.com/photos/95268887@N00
