The Proliferation of Local Prohibitions in Italy

[mcgillianaire]

Eboli - Kissing in cars is banned
Lucca - Illegal to open a kebab shop
Rome - Fine for eating in the street
Termoli - Illegal to put plant-holders on municipal property
Eraclea - Ban on building sandcastles or playing ball games on the beach
Lerici - Forbidden to dry a towel by hanging it out of a window
Venice - Illegal to feed pigeons
Positano - Ban on women's wedges
Capri - ditto
Several beaches - Fine of up to €10,000 for accepting a massage

You couldn't make this stuff up. Thanks to a 2008 law allowing local authorities to enact ordinances affecting "all that which could affect public order and security", at least 150 such prohibitions have come in force according to the daily La Stampa. It's believed the ability to impose such fines was a concession by Berlusconi's government to compensate local councils for restricted income from a lucrative municipal housing tax. Those of you visiting Italy, consider yourself warned!

Comments

[elodie21.livejournal.com]

If this is the case in Italy, what if a similar concession on imposing fines was allowed in India? *shudder!

[mcgillianaire.livejournal.com]

Shudder indeed. Already several illegal "fines" exist in the form of giving bribes to get anything done.