Where there is a beach, there are bikinis.
But tourists visiting the beaches of Sorrento, Italy will be in for a shock this summer.
City leaders are fined £450 (500 euros) for those caught in their Speedos or bikinis on the streets of the coastal town.
People spotted outside the beach in their swimwear could be stopped by the police.
Mayor of Sorrento Massimo Coppola has outlawed the act to end what he says is “widespread indecent behaviour.”
He claimed scantily clad tourists caused ‘discomfort’ among locals, reports The times†
Coppola says that ‘widespread indecent behaviour’ is seen by the majority of people as contrary to the decency and decency that characterizes civilized cohabitation’.
He added: ‘The continuation of this situation, as well as causing discomfort and unease to residents and visitors, could lead to a negative assessment of the quality of life in our city, with consequences for its image and for the environment. tourism.’
Thousands of tourists talk to the city every summer, and this year’s influx is the first to face the so-called ‘bikini ban’.
Sorrento’s picturesque location on the Amalfi Coast makes it popular with influencers and the young generation eager to capture the perfect Instagram shot.
Police are patrolling the city’s streets to enforce the ban.
Sorrento isn’t the first vacation spot to tackle tourists’ clothing.
Bikini-clad women and uncovered male torsos were banned on the streets of Barcelona more than ten years ago.
Local officials have passed a law banning what they described as ‘near nudity’ in the city center, with anyone violating the rules risking a fine.
Lawmakers and tourist bosses feared that Barcelona’s image was being tarnished by the number of people walking straight from the sand and entering residential and historic areas without bothering to change their clothes.
The Ligurian resort of Rapallo has also recently banned ‘skimpy’ outfits off the beach.
Tourists in Spain will also have to deal with a new law this year, banning puddles in the ocean.
Anyone caught spilling into the sea in Vigo, in the northern region of Galicia, faces a fine of £645.
Authorities last month passed legislation banning “physiological evacuation on the beach or in the sea.”
A similar ban was also implemented in the southeastern resort town of San Pedro del Pinatar in 2017, along with nudity, playing bat and ball and reserving places on the beach with a towel.
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