Morning cup of coffee results in a $1,000 fine, expulsion from Venice

LONDON » The Rialto Bridge in Venice, the oldest of the four structures spanning the Grand Canal in the Italian city, has seen it all.

But the sight of two German backpackers setting up a travel stove to make their morning coffee on the steps of the 400-year-old monument was too much for a local resident, who reported it to police.

The travelers from Berlin, an unidentified man and a woman ages 32 and 35, were fined 950 euros (or $1,000) under rules introduced in May to preserve “decorum” in the city center.

Venice, which for decades has been inundated with tourists from all over the world eager to see its unique architecture and experience its lifestyle, has struggled with overtourism. The crowds have been both a blessing, bringing in much-needed revenue, and a curse, invading every inch of public space.

As far back as 1987, the local authorities capped the number of tour buses carrying day-trippers into the city. But a new wave of tourism fueled by cheap airline fares has not made things easier, and Venice has taken strict measures to address the problem.

New rules include fines for urinating in public, wearing indecent clothing and eating in public places other than restaurants and cafes.

The largest, most visible symbols of the onslaught of tourists on Venice’s canals have been cruise ships that carry hundreds of people into the heart of the historic center.

Campaigners pushed through regulations last year to divert the behemoths to a port on the mainland, farther from the city’s fragile lagoon.

“Venice must be respected, and the rude people who think they can come to the city and do whatever they want must understand that, thanks to the girls and boys of the local police, they will be taken, sanctioned and removed,” Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said in a statement.

Now, visitors have to be careful where they brew a cup of coffee.

Both German travelers were ordered to leave the city.

“Our city will always be open and welcoming to all those who want to come and visit it,” Brugnaro said. “At the same time, we will be intransigent with those who think they will come and do what they want.”