http://www.consumertraveler.com/today/gelato-banned-from-the-spanish-steps-no-picnics-at-st-marks/ The last honest travel site Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:49:52 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 http://www.consumertraveler.com/today/gelato-banned-from-the-spanish-steps-no-picnics-at-st-marks/comment-page-1/#comment-5675 Elisa Fri, 22 Aug 2008 08:36:06 +0000 http://www.tripso.com/?p=5052#comment-5675 I think there is some serious misunderstand here - you are not forbidden to eat or drink while you WALK around the Spanish Steps - you are forbidden from SITTING AND EATING. This is due to a lot of serious misbehaviour, which has been going on since a few years in Rome and many other tourist towns in Italy. It happens even too often that during the week-ends, there are hours-lastings pic-nics on the steps of the Duomo in Milan, or of the one in Florence. Unfortunately, this often led not just to rubbish being left everywhere, instead of being thrown in the bins, but also to drunkness, broken glass bottles, etc. This is the logic behind the new law. If you want to eat cheaply, Italian towns offer some alternatives - maybe not EXACTLY in the center of Rome, where, imho, the best value for money is still a salad in McDonalds, for all that's worth. And Venice, as far as I see it, is just a rip-off everywhere. In Venice, my advice would be (1) first thing in the morning, get in a food shop and have bread, ham, cheese, whatever you want, and carry them with you or (2) leave the beaten track of tourism and head where the locals go - follow some employees from a local bank or from a shop, for example, see where they go in their lunchtime and follow them. Chance is, you'll find an authentic osteria and have a typical meal for far less than a panino in the center. It takes maybe a little bit more of time, but it may be worth it. I think there is some serious misunderstand here – you are not forbidden to eat or drink while you WALK around the Spanish Steps – you are forbidden from SITTING AND EATING. This is due to a lot of serious misbehaviour, which has been going on since a few years in Rome and many other tourist towns in Italy. It happens even too often that during the week-ends, there are hours-lastings pic-nics on the steps of the Duomo in Milan, or of the one in Florence. Unfortunately, this often led not just to rubbish being left everywhere, instead of being thrown in the bins, but also to drunkness, broken glass bottles, etc. This is the logic behind the new law.
If you want to eat cheaply, Italian towns offer some alternatives – maybe not EXACTLY in the center of Rome, where, imho, the best value for money is still a salad in McDonalds, for all that’s worth. And Venice, as far as I see it, is just a rip-off everywhere. In Venice, my advice would be (1) first thing in the morning, get in a food shop and have bread, ham, cheese, whatever you want, and carry them with you or (2) leave the beaten track of tourism and head where the locals go – follow some employees from a local bank or from a shop, for example, see where they go in their lunchtime and follow them. Chance is, you’ll find an authentic osteria and have a typical meal for far less than a panino in the center. It takes maybe a little bit more of time, but it may be worth it.

]]> http://www.consumertraveler.com/today/gelato-banned-from-the-spanish-steps-no-picnics-at-st-marks/comment-page-1/#comment-4744 Italy News: 07.27.08 | Italy Travel Guide Sun, 27 Jul 2008 09:21:11 +0000 http://www.tripso.com/?p=5052#comment-4744 [...] hand out hefty fines for anyone picnicking in St. Mark’s Square in Venice, there’s a new city ordinance against eating or drinking anywhere in Rome’s historic center. Susan Spano of the LA Times [...] [...] hand out hefty fines for anyone picnicking in St. Mark’s Square in Venice, there’s a new city ordinance against eating or drinking anywhere in Rome’s historic center. Susan Spano of the LA Times [...]

]]> http://www.consumertraveler.com/today/gelato-banned-from-the-spanish-steps-no-picnics-at-st-marks/comment-page-1/#comment-4518 Paul Brady Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:26:04 +0000 http://www.tripso.com/?p=5052#comment-4518 One of the underreported things about this story is that Italians themselves would never picnic in the <em>piazze</em>. It's only tourists that would think to do plop down with a panino, so in a way this is actually making Rome more Roman. One of the underreported things about this story is that Italians themselves would never picnic in the piazze. It’s only tourists that would think to do plop down with a panino, so in a way this is actually making Rome more Roman.

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