Are you planning a trip to Italy? Before you pack your bags and set off to explore your bucket list cities and landmarks, there are a few new rules that you'll want to know. Some of these activities have been made famous on Instagram and TikTok, but don't get caught doing them now. While some might seem harmless, they are now illegal, and fines can be steep, reaching up to 6 ,000 euros. In this episode, we're diving into 10 surprising things that are now banned in many parts of Italy. and how much they could cost you if you're not careful. So join us as we travel to one of our fan -favorite destinations and talk about these new laws you need to know.
I'm Scott. And I'm Melissa.
I'm Melissa.
And we're the Sunshine Travelers. Our passion is travel and sharing our experiences with those who enjoy it as much as we do, or those who want to learn more about travel, or even those who just want to live vicariously through our travel stories. No matter where you fall along that journey, get ready to hear about our firsthand experiences as we visit some of the most interesting and amazing places on Earth.
You know, Melissa, at first when you started sharing some of these new laws with me, I thought this had to be a hoax. They sounded like the law in Georgia that says you can't put an ice cream cone in your back pocket on Sundays. That law is actually really still on the books. But it dates back to the 1800s when horse thieves would attempt to lure horses away while people attended church.
Oh, that's so interesting. It's always so interesting to know like the history behind things that sometimes you don't think.
Yeah, it was something about like if they put the ice cream in their back pocket, the horses would smell the sweet treat and then they would just follow after the person wanting to get to that sweet treat.
So interesting. Yeah, instead of just like... I don't know. Like, so they look like they're stealing them directly. And so then they could get away with it or something. That's so strange.
Yeah, I don't know. Why not sugar cubes? You know, I don't know why ice cream was chosen, but it's a law. It's still in the books. I read like there were 10 different laws that are still in the books that are rarely ever enforced. And I'd heard about this ice cream thing for a really long time. But there was one about you can't spit out the window of a moving vehicle unless it's a truck.
I wonder what the logic behind that is.
Well, I guess while you're driving your truck, you got to chew your tobacco. So that's okay, but not on a school bus or a bus or a car, only in a truck. So they could limit people that way.
they could limit people that way. Yeah. So interesting.
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Yeah. And I don't know if these are like always enforced or there's times when you can get away with it or if you didn't know. But these are things that we heard about them. And I mean, the one in particular that I'd seen several videos about that isn't quite what people depicted it to be. So we'll talk about that one in a minute. So whether these are completely enforced or not, I did go back and like think about, you know, we went to the Spanish Steps, for example. We didn't walk on the Spanish Steps. And one of the things is like about dragging suitcases, which we didn't walk up and down them. But so I had to go back and we didn't happen to sit there. Now, we did sit. You and I sat down on the Trevi Fountain while we were there. But with the Spanish Steps, we didn't necessarily go. And so when I looked at this, I went back and looked at some pictures just to see. And when we were there, nobody was sitting. So we'll talk about these laws. So let's get right into it. So number one, and let's go with Rome first. So we'll go with Rome and then we'll kind of go in some other places in Italy.
Yeah, we've got three different laws in Rome that have been enacted. Yeah. So for years,
years, Rome has struggled with overtourism and bad behavior from tourists and locals. So now it is illegal to drink alcohol in public at night in Rome, outdoors after 10 p .m. But it's in certain areas. And anyone that is drinking from a glass container outside after 10 p .m. is now in risk of being fined. After 11 p .m., any public alcohol consumption will get you in trouble. Bars must also stop serving alcohol between 2 a .m. and 7 a .m. And bar crawls, which have become popular all over the world,
over the
world, have also been banned. So the penalties can go upwards of 200 euros.
So I have a question is it specifically states that drinking from a glass container outside after 10 p .m. So if I was drinking from, say, an aluminum can, is that allowable? Yeah,
I don't know, because there's another one where, you know, that's something that's on their website and it and it's kind of like in the language. Right. Which I guess laws are always about in the language. It like doesn't quite make sense. So just be aware.
sense. So just be aware. Yeah. You also have to think about. how they sell things there. And I don't know if I remember seeing anything in an aluminum can.
Right. So, I mean, cause they do a lot of glass and they do a lot of recycling where we tend to have a lot of plastic and a lot of trash. So they did have plastic when we were there.
did have plastic when we were there. So like plastic bottles, but I think you're right. Most, most restaurants and things like that definitely served everything in glass.
Yeah. So maybe just be aware, because, again, this is a very specific like time, you know, a time frame around it. So the other thing that we always say when traveling to is just kind of see what other people are doing. Right. And kind of look around to see, you know, especially locals, like kind of what are the customs? What you know, how how are people behaving or acting or what kind of rules are they following?
Yeah. And I do remember Rome being pretty popular for like hen parties and. stag parties and stuff like that as well so i mean if you can't drink after 10 p .m well outside so you could stay in the bars right and then you leave and then you go to i mean is that not really a like a organized bar crawl i guess i would say and then it's not till like 2 a .m to 7 a .m you know when they can't stop serving so i mean it's kind of like that ron white joke where he's telling that he
outside so you could stay in the bars right and then you leave and then you go to i mean is that not really a like a organized bar crawl i guess i would say and then it's not till like 2 a .m to 7 a .m you know when they can't stop serving so i mean it's
then it's not till
kind of like that ron white joke where he's telling that he you know, got drunk and was thrown out of a bar and then he got arrested. He said, why? And he said, for being drunk in public. And he said, well, I wasn't drunk in public. I was drunk in a bar and they threw me into public. Yeah,
maybe so. So just being aware and of some of those times, you know, which I'm sure it's like some of especially the super late, you know, it's like in the super in summer. Right. And that kind of time. So let's move on to number two. We talked about the Spanish steps a little bit. So it is now illegal to sit or eat on the iconic Spanish steps. And I think this one was 2019 is when they had put this into place. So this was part of a broader set of regulations introduced by the city to preserve some of the cultural sites and to maintain cleanliness, right? Because if people go and sit and eat, whatever, and then just leave their garbage, for example. And here's the other one. It's also illegal to drag wheeled suitcases or strollers up the steps. Now, I can't imagine dragging them. Like, I mean, you would think like easier to pick them up. So breaking these rules can lead to funds of upwards of 400 euros.
Wow. I think that's important because I think maybe just last year, someone graffitied the Spanish steps, right? And so I'm glad to see that Rome's taking some measures to try to protect these historical sites. I think this is also a good chance for you to go and look at some of our packing tips as well. about not bringing those big old ass roller suitcases.
Yeah, that's true. So, you know, people have commented to me, you know, when we were there, people were sitting. So again, you know, just kind of see like if nobody else is sitting, but they have taken steps. They've had a lot of tourism in the last several years, increasing in numbers and the length of time, not just being in the super busy, but, you know. the length of time increasing too. So just trying to preserve some of these sites. So, and then number three, the public fountains in Rome. So you may have seen this in the movies and some people may also try to do this for photos and videos when it's hot outside, but splashing, washing your feet, cooling off in Rome's public fountains is strictly forbidden and can result in vibes of up to 500 euros. Yes, I read that people still do it. There were several stories associated with this where people still did it. And they did get fines.
Well, I'm not surprised because when we were down at Epcot in Orlando, like we saw people nearly taking a bath in the in the fountains there at Epcot. Right. They would turn around, they would get halfway undressed or pull their, you know, pants up or whatever. And they would be inside those fountains. It's like, what is wrong with you people?
Yeah. So, you know, it may seem. cool for the video or romantic you know from the movies that you've seen but it is it is illegal so i'm sure like if you wanted to have some kind of picture made or something like that there's probably some way that you could get an authorization to do it but don't just go jump in the fountains yeah well let's move on from rome to venice so this one i mean it kind of makes sense but it's also kind of sad that they have to have a law
sure like if you wanted to have some kind of picture made or something like that there's probably some way that you could get an authorization to do it but don't just go jump in the fountains yeah well let's move on from rome to venice so
this one i mean it kind of makes sense but it's also kind of sad that they have to have a law So taking a dip in Venice's canals is strictly prohibited and it has been for many years. So it is unsanitary and you can be fined at least 350 euros. I'm sure like years and years and years ago, like that was, I mean, that was the clean water. But nowadays, not so much.
I don't know. I don't know that that's ever been clean water.
Yeah. I think it was there for the... purpose of transportation.
think it was there for the... purpose of transportation. I don't think it was part of their drinking water.
Well, not drinking water, but I feel like maybe it used to be cleaner than it is, right? Because nowadays we have a lot of trash and we have a lot of pollution and we have a lot of disposables that get into it and stuff like that. So, I mean, was there a time where people like wash their clothes or, you know, that kind of thing? But I can't imagine that people, somebody saying, oh, let me get in this nowadays. Yeah, I'm definitely not because I'm almost certain there's probably sewage in that water.
I'm definitely not because I'm almost certain there's probably sewage in that water.
Yeah, so 350 euros is the fawn.
All right. Well, you know, 350 sounds really cheap compared to all the other health conditions you'll probably have after you get out of there.
It's true. So the next one in Venice is feeding the pigeons in Venice's famous St. Mark's Square has been illegal since 2008. And this is to protect the historic monuments and structures from damage caused by the pigeon droppings. Fines can range from 50 euros to 700 euros. This one was actually controversial among the locals I read because they said it, you know, the people who sold the food, it took away their source of income.
That happens sometimes with, you know, when you put these regulations in place. But at the same time, that's almost like saying. We shouldn't do this because it's going to take away the income of the person who has to clean up these monuments, right? And so I just don't think that that's a valid argument.
You know, as in any place where, you know, animals are fed, they get used to that behavior, right? And then they continue to come back. And so I can just imagine, you know, they know that they're going to be fed there and then just all the poop everywhere. And, you know, you go to a lot of these historic places. Where they've put in systems to like keep the birds from, you know, to protect the monuments and the structures.
You know, I read somewhere that pigeons are 100 % reliable on humans to be fed. Like they don't have any way of feeding themselves outside of humans feeding them. Or getting into human garbage and stuff like that. Just because of, you know,
because of,
years of being raised. The pigeons were raised with the purpose of, you know, sending messages and eating and, you know, food supply and stuff like that. But they just don't have a natural way of feeding themselves.
And two, so notice that I did say in the famous St. Mark's Square, right, is illegal. So that does not mean it doesn't happen in other places. So I guess just to kind of clear them out of that specific area, which is going to be true of a couple of these other things we're going to talk about too.
Well, that's, I mean, that's great because you hate going to these places. You're wanting to get a great picture, but you're also worried about the pigeon over your head about to poop on your head too.
And not just making it, you know, enjoyable when they're, you're having to, you know, shoo them away.
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So number six, let's move to Sorrento. In 2022, the mayor of Sorrento, I'd had enough of people and tourists walking around the city shirtless and banned strolling the street shirtless or in a bikini or a bathing suit. You can be fined up to 500 euros.
So Sorrento is right on the coast and you can imagine that there are a lot of people who go to the beach and then maybe they just come off the beach without putting a shirt back on or something like that.
But I just imagine, especially for Europe, like you're thinking about the town. Yes, there are, you know, there's public beaches and you have to go from the hotel and then just not want to put clothes back on. But Europe in general, as a different standard of, you know, what people wear out, for example, right? People tend to dress nicer and, you know, not just throw anything on. So, I mean, I think this is very reasonable, right? That just, you know, throwing on a shirt or throwing on something. You know, that's more of a cover up to then go back to your hotel to change. I wonder how bad it must have really gotten,
wonder how bad it must have really gotten, though, that the mayor was like, enough. That's enough. We're going to start finding people.
So cover up in Sorrento.
Well, let's talk a little bit about Florence and the historic center. Illegal to consume food while lingering on sidewalks, doorsteps and roadways. in specific areas of Florence's historic landmarks like the Duomo or Uffizi Gallery. This specifically applies during peak lunch and dinner times from 12 to 3 p .m. and 6 to 10 p .m. to prevent littering and overcrowding. And the fines for that can range anywhere from 150 euros to 500 euros. That's pretty hefty there.
Yeah, that is. And so, you know, this is specifically in... Very, very popular areas where you're going to get, you know, not only people who are there in their day to day, but a lot of tourists. But notice that it is also during peak, you know, mealtimes as well. But don't you think that that would really impact the little vendors,
you think that that would really impact the little vendors, the, you know, that have the roadside stands for people to take things away?
Yeah. And of course, it's not like a big, I mean, it's not like a huge area either. So it's not everywhere. And it's not all the time, but I guess it's the same situation. Like they had gotten into a situation where there's so many people, you know, and I had seen pictures and videos as well of, you know, this place or that place that had gotten super popular and the lines were, you know, outrageous. And of course, we encourage as also is a lot of times if you'll go outside. like that very tourist areas that unfortunately that super tourist area has, you know, the prices of food and whatever have gone way up. Right. And the quality, unfortunately, probably is way less than it would be. And so we found like really amazing places go two or three blocks and, you know, another direction. And the other thing is, too, we like to just like, you know, sit and eat as well, too. Right. So, you know, finding a cafe and sitting and eating is part of your experience. So but I think here it's like, you know, people are dropping food and dropping trash and it just becomes like you have thousands of people and it just becomes where it's like, oh, this is just really nasty. And then you get animals, right? Because if people don't pick up the food and then what do they and then they have to have people to clean it up and then you get rats and birds and all kinds of stuff.
Yeah, but I wonder if it wouldn't just make as much sense to enforce like anti littering laws.
Yeah, but maybe if it's just like this, then you can't, you know, you don't have the, you don't have the food and you don't have the stuff to litter. So again, like how do they, you know, is it enforced? Because I guess it is hard to know since these specific areas and these specific times, right? How much are they really saying, you know, or is it one of those things that's more of a, like a deterrent? I don't know.
Yeah, I don't either. Well, let's talk about the beaches in Sardinia. Sardinia has banned single -use plastics protect its pristine beaches and violators face fines of up to 500 euros. Amen.
Yeah, for sure. Because unfortunately, a lot of times when we go to the beach, right, you see trash and if it's a few things, you know, we try to pick that up. But plastics are especially bad. And we noticed it especially like when we were in Greece one time. And they could wash up miles away or on another island or wherever, right? This happened to be just the way that the waves did in this certain, they just washed on this certain beach. And you're already going to get, you know, trash and garbage from people fishing and, you know, buoys from boats and stuff like that. But then you start adding, you know, straws and plastic cups and bottles and spoons and forks. And, you know, and then you just, you know, it just accumulates and makes a mess. You know, and that's they're not the only ones either. You know, when we went to Kenya recently, that was the one thing is like they had banned like plastic bags. And a lot of places around the world have banned things like plastic bags or, you know, made it to where you have to pay for them. But in Kenya, it was no plastic bags. Most of the places did a really good job of, you know, having, you know, cloth napkins and stuff like that. We had one bush breakfast where it was in some paper packaging, but nothing was plastic, you know, so that kind of thing.
Yeah. Matter of fact, we were very disappointed at that one place that sent everything out in disposable packaging. And we were like, wow, you could do so much better than that.
Yeah. So even though it wasn't plastics, it was like paper, you know, everything was paper or whatever. So, but specifically they're saying that they have banned single use plastic. So that just, you know, eliminates a lot of those bottles being left on the beach. And like I said, straws being left behind or.
We've often wondered, like, here in the U .S., why do they continue, like, grocery stores provide plastic bags? There are very good models of places that don't provide bags, and they don't seem to be harmed by that.
Or provide them for a charge, because even here, you know, and in some places it may be different, but even here, like Aldi, adopts that same model as they have in Germany, for example, that you pay for bags if you want them. And I'll tell you what, people bring their bags. And so I think it becomes a mindset thing. I know.
know. I went to the grocery store today and I felt so bad because I didn't take a bag. And then they put it in a plastic bag and I'm like, you know, I've actually gotten pretty good usually about taking those reusable bags. And it's like Melissa said, when we were in Greece, we love Greece and we love those islands that we went to. But there was this one particular beach where everything washed up. Just was like, man, there's got to be something better, right? And it just, it totally ruined that one little beach area. The water out there was clear and perfect and whatever. It was just the beach was littered with all that plastic and trash.
So this next one, number nine, I actually really love this one. And it probably has become like a shock to a lot of people. And that is smoking in Milan as of January 1st of this year. So of January 1st, 2025, Milan has implemented Italy's strictest smoking ban, prohibiting smoking in all public places, including streets, citing both health and environmental reasons. Violators' response ranging from 40 euros to 240 euros.
I wonder if that includes like all forms of smoking, because now you've got vaping and all kinds of smoking. One thing that we've seen all over the world is the increased usage of marijuana. Now, you know, don't take this as an attack against marijuana. If you want to do that, you do you. But the problem with it is it isn't just you. It's me, too. And so yesterday we were down in St. Augustine. We're sitting at that little ice cream shop. And there must have been at least 10 times. where it was just an overwhelming smell of marijuana. And it's not something that I find to be pleasant.
It's not even legal in Florida.
Except for there's the dispensary right next door to where we went to that coffee shop.
Yeah, but I don't know about it being in public like that. Right? Because they didn't pass that.
Yeah. I don't know where the person was. I don't know where it was coming from. But, you know, I'm all for the smoking ban. One thing I remember is... When we came to Florida many years ago when our kids were younger and we went into a restaurant and they asked us if we wanted smoking or there was no smoking. Right. There was only no smoking inside the restaurants. And we were like,
Right. There was only
the restaurants. And we were like, whoa, you know, because in Georgia, they still had smoking and non -smoking. And there was really no difference. Everybody sat in smoking because smoke doesn't just sit in one area.
Yeah. I remember that too. And I was actually going to mention that because it was like, wow, this is so, you know, it's so nice, you know, when you're trying to eat and stuff like that. But sometimes it has been a shock to us to go to Italy, to go to Greece, to go to some of these places and sit outside in an outdoor cafe, you know, and everyone is smoking and it's just like,
know, and everyone is
yeah, it's overwhelming. I mean. I think the thing here is you got to remember for someone who doesn't smoke, the secondhand smoke is just it's powerful and overwhelming more so than if you're used to it and part of your daily habit. And so, I mean, I personally love this band.
Yeah. Well, and a lot of people commented that, oh, you know, we'd like to see this in more places in Italy, how nice it would have been trying to crack down on that, too. And I'm sure it is like littering, because that is one thing when you see littering. It's, you know, a lot of times it's cigarette butts.
Yeah.
Yeah. And then getting children, don't touch that, you know, pick that up. So. And dogs.
dogs.
Yes. Oh, yes. And dogs too. That's true. So here's the last law. And then we've got three other things from Italy that you need to know about if you're traveling there soon. So number 10, swimming inside the blue grotto on Capri is prohibited for both safety reasons and to preserve the site's natural beauty. Violators can face fines amounting to thousands of euros. And here was a case where it was enforced. In 2019, Heidi Klum was fined 6 ,000 euros for swimming in the cave. And I have read, actually, it wasn't the first time.
The first time that she was fined?
Right, that she was fined.
Yeah, I don't know. That's one of those things where I see that as just a safety issue. Yeah. Talked about this where we were down in the Galapagos. We were swimming. Tide changed or something happened. And the guide was like, hey, it's not safe to swim here anymore. We need to get out of the water. And about a month later, one of the cabin stewards was snorkeling, got caught between some rocks and drowned.
Yeah. So, I mean, you just don't know. You know, the ocean is so unpredictable, and especially when you're dealing with rocks. When I was researching this one, actually, a lot of the sites that it took me to were like some of the tour operators that do Blue Grotto tours. And they did have very specific, you know, things that came up that was like, you know, please be aware there's no swimming in the Blue Grotto. Like this is a boat, you know, experience to like see it, etc.
Well, we touched on this briefly in episode 96, where cities and the citizens that live in them. are having to deal with large volumes of tourists as locations start to trend in popularity. And Italy has been a popular destination for a long time now, and these laws are intended to keep it that way. They want to keep it as a tourist location that's safe, that it's clean, and that people are going to keep wanting to come there. And we've also seen in Spain that they've had some issues recently where locals have protested the large number of tourists. that locals say are affecting their quality of life. And so I think that's just something that we all need to think about. In episode 96 that I referenced there, we talked about some trending locations that are starting to get really popular. We're not the only ones talking about them. So there's going to be tons of people now starting to look into those places, starting to visit them, and they're going to run into issues that probably... one day they're going to have to write some of these laws about themselves.
Right. So, I mean, just thinking about, you know, as you travel to just like treating things with respect, keeping things clean, not, you know, and I'd say local people.
say local people.
Yeah. And the local people too. Right. And being respectful, you know, and that reminds me of when we were in Windsor in the UK one time, walking in the town and then going toward the long walk. Remember that sign we said that said it was a pub like right there and it's in a neighborhood, right? Just like a neighborhood pub. And it said, you know, as you leave something like that, be respectful of the neighbors, you know, consider the hour and be respectful for the neighbors. I don't know just how like refreshing that was just have like the little sign. Right. But then hopefully people weren't like, well, it's my right to be disrespectful or, you know, I have the right to do this, you know, that they would then be respectful of the community and for locals. But then that also goes for tourists as well. So here's a couple of other things, two about Rome and then one about Venice that we think you should know about. Not necessarily laws, but some things that are being put in place. So the first one, already effective, is a queuing system for the Trevi Fountain. So when we went, you just go and you can see it and you've seen the pictures and there's thousands of people and everybody's milling around. I mean, you just walk up. So I had seen people post online that it costs and that you have to make a reservation, but that has not yet been implemented. So right now it's simply a queue. And here's the details. And this is from the official site from Italy. And I'll link that. It says access guaranteed to a maximum number of about 400 people at the same time. Visits are regulated as follows. Every day from 9 a .m. to 9 p .m. And the last access is at 8 .30 p .m. On Mondays and Fridays from 12 a .m. to allow for coin collection operations, and then every other Monday from 2 p .m. to 9 p .m. for emptying and cleaning the tank. And then it says free access from 9 p .m. And so that may have been where some of the confusion came from, like when they charge or don't charge. I think they're meaning free is not, there's a queue line.
Yeah, I think that's probably 12 p .m., not 12 a .m.
I think
Oh, yeah, maybe. So anyway, I will link. So if you're going to Rome.
It's closed.
Yeah, if you're going to Rome, I'm going to link that. Or just, you know, look that up and make sure you're looking at an official Italy site and just know, you know, my thoughts on also, I mean, it would be fun, I would say to pay. Right. And that's kind of been the argument from some people is that, oh, well, you know, a lot of people put coins in so they'd be happy to pay. The hard part with the Trevi Fountain and have a reservation system to me is this is like you already are booking. OK, I want to go to the Vatican and I want to go to the Colosseum and I'm trying to figure out, like, what is my schedule? And then seeing some of these things like the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain and some of those things. And then you're having to figure out, OK, I've got to book this reservation for this. And then the other thing is then people who don't know about it. Right. So it's one thing to go down there and it's like, OK, I have to wait in line and, you know, we can wait in line. But, oh, I'm sorry, you don't have a reservation. You can't go see this when that's the one time you've gone to Rome. So that's my hard, you know, that's something that I struggle with, too, like on some, you know, when Disney has had some of those things, right? Oh, you can't ride, you know, this ride when it first opens because you didn't get this queue and, you know, you came all this way and you didn't know about it. So just be aware. Right now it's a queue, but just, you know, keep an eye on it and watch that site if you're going to visit.
I want to make sure I understand, and that everybody else does, too, is this is only a queue during the most heavily visited times. And then outside of the times, that's when you can just go whenever you want to.
It's saying from 9 a .m. to 9 p .m. There's a queue.
So maybe that is 12 a .m. that they, you know, clean the coins out of the fountain and stuff like that.
they, you
Right. So then you couldn't, yeah, just be up there all night. So I also read, though, that you are not, that they're not allowing people to sit on it. So it has been closed. You may have seen pictures. I know we saw pictures of had scaffolding and stuff like that was closed for a while. I don't have closed. You could probably still walk by it, but you couldn't really get close to it. They had scaffolding it. They were cleaning it. They spent something like 250 euros or something. I'm sorry, 250 ,000 euros to do some restorations on it in ahead of the Jubilee. And so now you're not allowed to sit on it. See, we just, we sat down on it and, you know, had our picture made and stuff like that. So just being. aware of that. And so then the next thing is, speaking of the Jubilee in Rome, it is happening now. It started in late 2024 and it goes for one year. So expect special events, especially on weekends and crowds as people make their pilgrimage to Rome this year. So different weekends have different celebrations throughout the year. So we're not saying, oh, don't go because of the Jubilee, but just be aware of that, right? So book your hotel well in advance. If you want to book certain tours, go ahead and get tickets, which we have said, you know, try to do that in advance in Rome and just be informed of those events. So go to the official site and kind of look to see on the, you know, on the weekends, you know, where certain events are going to be and just to be aware of that. So I'll link that.
Yeah, I would say that it's not stay away. It's a this is an exciting time to be there. And so if you're thinking about going to Rome, maybe you want to plan to do it before the Jubilee is over.
Right. And then. Just, you know, plan ahead and to know. So like, for example, Rome is a popular place for like for cruises, too. Right. So if you're going, just know to, you know, make those plans. But maybe there is an event or something going on that you want to, like you said, take part of. It's not like you wouldn't go to a place to go to the Olympics because the Olympics are there. Right. But is there a way that you could, you know, take part in some of this as well?
Yeah. And if you want to go on a cruise, let us know, because that was our all time favorite cruise that we've ever been on. It left out of Rome and then did 12 days on the Mediterranean.
Yes. And so then the final one is about Venice. And so we kind of started this conversation with tourism and crowds. And so here's one way that Venice has kind of put a system in place to earn a little extra money, which like helps with that, right? For cleanup and just whatever. So the 2024 tourist tax that they had was successful. And so they have extended that. to 2025. And so it's going to cover 54 days in 2025, starting April 18th until July 27th. It's mostly on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays and public holidays. The price will remain at five euros, but it's double that if you book it less than four days in advance. So this is a case where if you are going to Venice, check and see, you know, during those times, especially in the weekend, but I would just check to make sure. We'll link the site. Because it's not something easy that you can read out. We'll link that or just look up Venice Tourist Tax. Make sure you're going to the official site. But this one is not open until I went to that official site and it's not open until April to like even make your reservation. So probably early April.
I don't understand where they're collecting this tax.
You have to like get a you have to like you have to like book your reservation online. So you prepay it. And so then I guess like if you're asked. You know, it could be one of those cases where if you're, you know, like you're asked to show.
to show. You don't have a reservation to go to Venice. Your reservation would be at a hotel or lodgings and stuff like that. Why don't they put it inside that?
stuff like that.
Because day visitors.
This is ridiculous and I think it's unenforceable.
Well, no, I've heard that like it's very like that they have a way that they check. Like is there a single gate that everybody has to file through to pay their tax?
Like is there a single gate that everybody has to file through to pay their tax?
Yeah. Well, I don't know. But I've just seen, you know, I've seen several people post online, you know. Be aware of this. Like they went last summer and showed this, you know, getting your reservation and that kind of thing. And it could be something where they check or, you know, as you're as you're driving in or whatever. So for parking. But well,
a lot of places charge you for driving and parking in London is one of those. I've heard recently the the amount that London is charging to drive a car inside the city limits has gone crazy.
So then that affects like the cabs and stuff, too, I guess. Right. They add that to there. Or are they trying to encourage that so it's better to take a cab?
Yeah, I think they want to push public transportation. But then, you know, their public transportation becomes overwhelmed as well. But it is hard to get around in London in a car. And so that's one of the reasons why we don't ever try to drive into London. We did once.
did once.
Yeah, we did. We parked the car in the parking deck and then left it till we left.
parked the car in the parking deck and then left it till we left. Like, we were only there for one day.
Well, we also want to share a few resources that we've been working on over on our website. So at sunshine travelers dot com slash guides, we have several mini guides for visiting some of our favorite locations, as well as some itineraries that include links where you can book these experiences directly with Sunshine Travelers experiences. And so, you know, we've talked just briefly, kind of did like a little bit of a soft launch. on the fact that we have started a travel agency now, Sunshine Travelers Experiences. And right now, those links are out there. They're free. Just go click on them. They're itineraries. They're things that we have done. They're places that we have stayed at. They're activities that we have done. And so we want you to go check those out. Use those as a resource for planning your trips. There's some great locations out there that you might want to visit. And then the only thing we'd say is help us out. Use the links inside there and book your accommodations. If you want to customize any of those, just reach out to us and we'd be happy to work with you on a custom itinerary.
Yeah, there's a link in there to customize those as well if you want a little bit more step -by -step guidance. But there is one for Rome specifically. There is one specifically for the Amosby Coast. So sunshinetravelers .com slash guides.
For all the years that we lived in Georgia, I don't know that I was ever tempted to break the law of carrying an ice cream cone in my back pocket on Sunday or any other day of the week for that matter. Were you surprised by any of the laws from Italy? Let us know in the comments or send me an email at scott at sunshine travelers dot com. We'd also love you to engage with us over on social media. We are at Sunshine Travelers Podcast on most of our social media platforms. Your engagement helps us when working with brands to help support the content that we publish each week. We'd also like to invite you to spread the word about our new travel agency, the Sunshine Travelers Experiences. And you can find us there, sunxtravel .com or sunshinetravelersexperiences .com. But we all know that sunxtravel .com is a lot easier. That's why we made that. And we'd love to help you put together that once in a lifetime trip that you've been dreaming of. The world is full of sunshine and surprises. Make 2025 the year you explore beyond the familiar. We hope you enjoyed this episode and found some inspiration to help you with your travel journeys. If you could take a moment to leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, it would be greatly appreciated. Your five -star reviews help us get discovered by others and possibly featured on your favorite platform. Don't forget to follow or subscribe to our podcast to get notified of new episodes as they are released. You can also find us on Instagram and Facebook at Sunshine Travelers Podcast. Remember that as travelers with one L, most importantly, please share it with your friends to help them catch the travel bug. You never know. they may become your greatest travel companion.
