Venice launches manners campaign for tourists
Aims to curb swimsuits in the center, feeding pigeons
30 April, 16:31
They will be printed in seven languages: Italian, English, Spanish, Japanese, French, Russian and German. The campaign is also using a mascot, a cartoon winged lion, the symbol of the city.
By some estimates Venice attracts 20 million tourists each year, dwarfing the dwindling local population of under 60,000. The city has implemented a number of good-manners initiatives over the years.
In 2007 female 'guardians of decorum' were licensed to crack down on tourists going about bare-chested, lounging around in doorways and eating sandwiches in St Mark's Square.
Dressed in smart blue trousers, white tops and white caps, the 'hostesses' watched over the city's most famous square and tourist magnet, stepping in at the first sign of 'uncivilised' behaviour. Those duties were gradually passed on to police officers.