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Etiquette & taboos

Etiquette & taboos

Understanding local customs is where a journey begins. Find the topics that matter to you and feel at ease wherever you go.

Italy

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Site-specific notes 22

Taken from the "don'ts" on each site page here. Open a site for its full etiquette and background.

Colosseum

  • Don't climb the ancient walls or carve anything on the ruins
  • don't get pulled into photos with 'gladiators' who then demand high fees
  • 'free bracelets' around the Colosseum are mostly scams.

Palio di Siena

  • Climbing over the track barriers
  • throwing objects onto the track
  • walking through the pageant

Roman Forum

  • Do not climb on stones or walls
  • do not take stone fragments away

Taormina

  • Do not climb on the stone seating of the ancient theatre
  • do not carve or scratch the ancient remains

Verona

  • Do not walk around or take photographs during performances
  • do not make loud noise in the old town's residential streets at night

Val d'Orcia

  • Do not walk into private wheat fields or vineyards to take photographs without permission
  • do not park at random on narrow country roads

Siena

  • Do not block the race route
  • do not photograph religious ceremonies in progress

Lake Como

  • Trespassing on private villas and property

The Last Supper in Milan

  • Do not break the on-site rules on photography and filming
  • do not arrive late, as you may be refused entry
  • do not touch the walls or exhibits

Dolomites

  • Do not leave the marked routes on high mountain trails
  • do not disturb grazing livestock or wild animals
  • do not attempt via ferrata routes without equipment and experience
  • do not risk the summit
  • do not remove pieces from war remains

Amalfi Coast

  • Do not stop casually for photos on the narrow, winding coastal road
  • do not make noise at night in the residential towns
  • do not enter private lemon groves or courtyards or pick fruit

Uffizi Galleries

  • Touching the exhibits
  • talking loudly or eating in the galleries
  • pushing ahead in queues
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Trevi Fountain

  • Never step into the basin, sit on the rim with your feet dangling, or throw food or scraps into the water — you will be fined and filmed by onlookers for the internet
  • don't picnic or linger on the fountain steps, as municipal rules ban eating and staying on historic monuments
  • don't climb the sculptures or railings for selfies

Leaning Tower of Pisa

  • Do not step on the closed lawns or climb the tower-base railings and any building plinths
  • no bags of any kind or selfie sticks are allowed on the climb (they must pass security and be checked), and do not lean out over the railings at the top
  • during Mass in the cathedral do not wander about sightseeing, and do not talk loudly or dress revealingly in religious places

Pompeii Archaeological Park

  • Do not carve or scrawl on the ruin walls (Italian law punishes this severely, with criminal liability and heavy fines together)
  • do not cross barriers into unopened houses or step on protected mosaic floors
  • do not bring large suitcases into the park, and do not fly drones over the site (except by special permit)

Florence Cathedral

  • Do not stop on the stairways for selfies or walk against the flow — the shell passage is one-way and passing is difficult
  • no flash photography, eating, drinking or loud conversation inside the cathedral, and no sightseeing during Mass
  • do not touch the Baptistery's replica bronze doors or the statues inside the cathedral — view them from behind the barriers

Neapolitan pizza

  • Don't ask for pineapple at a traditional pizzeria
  • don't have your pizza cut and boxed to eat slowly later (real pizza is meant to be eaten fresh from the oven)

Doge's Palace

  • Don't touch the frescoes or wood carvings
  • don't stop and block the flow on narrow stairs or in the Bridge of Sighs
  • don't fool around on the edge of the quay outside

St Mark's Basilica

  • Don't enter in a vest or shorts
  • don't take photos inside
  • don't feed the pigeons or sit on the ground to eat in the square

Pantheon

  • Don't speak loudly inside
  • don't sit eating on the portico's column bases and steps
  • don't touch the tombs or altars

Italian coffee bars

  • Cappuccino is mostly seen as a breakfast drink, and ordering one after lunch is considered a 'tourist habit' — it's a custom, not a rule
  • don't occupy space at the bar for long

Carnival of Venice

  • Don't push or tug at people's costumes
  • don't stop on bridges or in narrow lanes and block the flow
  • don't occupy bridges for long photo sessions