Rome has been welcoming visitors for over a thousand years. Now for the first time the weary tourist’s sandwich in Rome is under attack. And it’s not only the sandwich in Rome that is under attack.
Tourists sitting on the Spanish Steps enjoying an authentic Italian gelato may be a thing of the past too.
On Oct. 1, 2012, it became not only a Rome vacation memory, but a costly one as well..
The mayor of the “eternal city” has made it illegal to eat snacks and junk food on or around Rome’s monuments.
Rome vacations include lots of strolling around. Now while sightseeing tourists will be expected to curb their eating behavior off the streets. May seems ironic to many who take a vacation Rome precisely because they love the food.
Rome travelers may still chew as long as they are walking, but stop along the way to savior the view with a slice of Roman pizza or gelato and you are eligible for a fine of 25 to 500 euros ($32 to $650). An Italian daily newspaper dubbed it the “War on the Sandwich.” So Rome travelers looking for a sandwich in Rome with a seat with a view look out, because Rome’s Carabinieri (Rome’s police) dressed in their white and blue uniforms, are on patrol looking for anyone daring to flout the new law.
Rome authorities report tourists eating on its monuments can really get out of control, including a time when a group of tourists who set a table on the Spanish Steps, with table cloth and cutlery.
Some may ask with all the food carts around Rome it seems odd patrons, citizens, and tourists alike cannot enjoy Rome’s fabulous outdoor spaces for what we people do daily which is eat and enjoy our outdoors spaces. Some say its the business counsel with the Rome government forcing tourists inside for expensive lunches.
On the contrary, Rome authorities report that these piazzas and monuments are too beautiful and historical to be sullied by ice cream and bread crumbs. And frankly, if your are on vacation in Rome, you’ll find plenty of places to eat in Rome all with delicious Roman food. So be sure to enjoy your vacation to Rome and the Spanish Steps.