Taormina targets tatty tourist
Sicily's top tourist resort Taormina is to follow Venice's example and crack down on tatty tourists.
People caught walking bare-chested or littering historic sites with food wrappers and leftovers will be fined up to 500 euros, or nearly 700 dollars, the town council said Friday.
"We aim to get rid of sights that hurt the city's image," said Deputy Mayor Eligio Giardina.
However, only "full-scale visual vandalism" will earn the top fine, he said.
Most offences will be punished by the starting fine of 25 euros.
Citizens of Taormina, a pretty town that boasts some of Italy's best beaches and an ancient amphitheatre that hosts an international film festival, have been protesting for weeks over tourists' messy eating habits and scanty dress.
Giardina said a famous fountain of a female Centaur, the symbol of the city, had been turned into "an open-air dining room" for people with snacks and drinks.
Venice waged a successful campaign this summer to smarten up tourists who had been littering its streets and lounging semi-nude along its canals.
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Tatty Tourist
Quite right! Tourists should have more respect for other cultures and should be fined if they are found to be degrading the place. Taominia is a favorite of ours and we honeymooned here a few years back - I hate to see people being disrespectful of such beautiful sorroundings. They should stay at home if the like living in a slum!