Visitors to Florence could face fines of up to €500 for the simple act of eating on the street as local authorities have introduced stringent penalties in a bid to cut down congestion in the historic city center.

Tourists crowding around food outlets and pausing to eat outside shops and houses have become such a problem in the Italian city that authorities have introduced the new rules which came into effect earlier this month.

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The four streets included in the ban – Via de' Neri, Piazzale degli Uffizi, Piazza del Grano and Via della Ninna – are among the busiest streets for tourist traffic in Europe. The restrictions will be in place from midday to 3pm and from 6pm to 10pm each day for a four-month period.

In a Facebook post announcing the restrictions the city’s mayor, Dario Nardella, said: “Sometimes we are faced with tourists who lack education towards our city [...]. And that’s not good at all.”

“It is not a punitive measure but a concrete deterrent. Tourists, if they behave like they do at home, are and will always be our welcome guests, especially if they want to enjoy our gastronomic specialities... Only those who love Florence deserve Florence,” he added.

It isn’t the first time Nardella captured headlines for a policy targeting tourists. Last year he ordered that the steps of churches be hosed down to prevent visitors from congregating there to eat snacks.

The new ban on street snacking was welcomed by Roberta Pieraccioni, president of the Via de’ Neri committee, who told the La Nazione newspaper that he hopes the new law will “restore a little decorum on our street.”

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