Faced with the massive influx of tourists, the Italian village of Portofino prohibits pedestrians from stopping in the busiest streets or risk receiving a fine.
Getting fined just by being stopped in a street: this is possible in Portofino, south of Genoa, Italy. This charming fishing village attracts many tourists during the summer period. Except that this postcard setting is struggling to contain this influx of people. Faced with the pedestrian traffic jams observed during the tourist season and the high risk of jostling, the town hall decided to act. Matteo Viacava, mayor of the city, “has set up two ‘red zones’ in the places most frequented by tourists. Places where you can walk freely, but where it will be forbidden to stop”.
It must be said that this village of 400 souls faces several thousand tourists during peak times, such as during the last Easter weekend. Supported by many Italian billionaires like the former Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, the village plans to set these restrictions every day from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. until October 15. The financial penalty in the event of non-compliance with the decree is between 68 and 275 euros. For the moment, no fine has been drafted. The aim is above all to encourage passers-by not to park just anywhere. This unusual decree is born with a local framework where the charming Italian villages are more and more likely to want to regulate the strong influx of tourists in the most popular areas of the country.
