Tourists visiting Rome will no longer be able to sit on the steps of the Piazza di Spagna, according to a new regulation of the City Council. It will set fines for those who fail to comply with it and whose objective is to preserve the cultural heritage.
In addition to the Piazza di Spagna, the municipal order extends to all the monuments of the capital, such as the Trevi Fountain, and also prohibits access to public places with «indecent» clothing. The punishment is an economic sanction that can vary from 150 euros, in the case that tourists who use the monuments to sit, and up to 400 euros if they cause any damage, such as graffiti or incisions, according to City Hall sources.
These regulations aim to take care of one of the Roman spaces considered a World Heritage Site by Unesco and extends the previous regulations that until now prevented from eating and drinking on these marble stairs, inaugurated in 1725 by Pope Benedict XIII.