Tourists must behave

last updated 8 January 2015

Florence

Police in Florence are cracking down on the hordes of slovenly tourists who lounge on the steps of churches, blocking entrance to holy sites. Monsignor Timothy Verdon, an official of the Duomo, Florence’s cathedral, spurred the police action with his public complaints a few weeks ago. He said that every day worshipers were forced to pick their way through an obstacle course of scantily clad backpackers sitting on the steps, and that the area outside the famous church had become “an open toilet” at night. In the past few weeks, police have begun fining people 50 euros ($56) for sitting on the Duomo steps.