Tuscany Tries to Ban Tacky Souvenirs

ITALY

Tuscany Tries to Ban Tacky Souvenirs


Tuscany Tries to Ban Tacky Souvenirs

Five Tuscan mayors are joining forces to put an end to trashy souvenirs. The deputy mayor of Florence has proposed a meeting with officials from Pisa, San Gimignano, Siena and Pienza to plan a united action against crude keepsakes.

The cities are planning to host a joint summit to fight the sale of items like boxers, mugs, magnets and aprons printed with obscene images.

The sale of tacky souvenirs is not a new problem, but it was a set of boxer shorts that finally pushed officials over the edge.

The underwear in question features the Leaning Tower of Pisa strategically placed in the groin area. Police quickly intervened and levied 500 Euro fines against 5 sellers of the Leaning Tower underwear for displaying “merchandise offensive to public decorum.”

Florence also has regulations that prohibit the display of products that insult religious beliefs or cultural sensitivities. The bylaw allows them to battle vendors who profit by selling items humorously printed with David’s nude figure.

The impolite mementos are uniting the Tuscan towns, which see their war against trash as a UNESCO mission. Since all the cities involved are considered World Heritage sites, the mayors want to ensure that the cultural integrity of their cities is maintained.

4 comments

Anonymous (not verified) wrote 32 weeks 4 days ago

trashy crafts should be included in the ban

These offensive items of clothing are part of a sad 'take over' of trashy items being sold in Italy, Tuscany included. Local craft markets, mostly showcase trashy cheap crafts. This is an issue which is putting master craftsmanship living and producing their crafts in Italy, at risk because they cannot compete with the rubbish which comes from eastern Europe or China. I find it appalling that Tuscan Mayors still have not shown any empathy toward the fine craftsman who still produce their crafts to sell on on these markets. They are being outnumbered by trash. I hope that their ban on these offensive clothing will extend to a ban on cheap mostly badly made crafts from other countries.

lynnk (not verified) wrote 41 weeks 6 days ago

Who would wear that stuff??

Who would wear that stuff??

Nicole (not verified) wrote 41 weeks 6 days ago

tacky

When we were in Pisa, we took one glance at the dozens of stalls surrounding the tower area, and I said...don't want any of that cheap tacky stuff... but I guess there is a market for bad taste! :)

Gloria - Casina di Rosa (not verified) wrote 41 weeks 6 days ago

How bad is this...

Of all the problems that a city like Pisa has, the city is wasting time on banning underwear with the leaning tower... I think we can't regulate everything and we should be able to laugh about everything. Let the market decide what is cool and what is not.

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