Italian beauty spot to fine visitors €275 for lingering too long

Italians who are rediscovering their own country triggered a tourism boom at Easter, forcing the mayor of Portofino to introduce no-waiting zones for pedestrians to stop overcrowding in the village’s famed cobblestoned piazzetta.

Two “red zones” at the Italian Riviera beauty spot are intended to avoid thronging in restricted areas where visitors pause for a selfie and end up jostling with organised tour groups and passengers waiting to return to their cruise ships, The Times reports.

Matteo Viacava, the mayor, said that the no-loitering rule was necessary to put an end to “anarchic chaos” that could become dangerous and prevent access for emergency services.

The ban will remain in effect until October 15 and applies from the morning until 6pm. Anyone guilty of flouting it will be fined of up to €275.

About 1.7 million visitors poured into Italian centres over Easter, up 12 per cent on last year. This increase was attributed to Italian rather than foreign tourists, said Bernabò Bocca, head of the hoteliers’ association Federalberghi.

“Italians rediscovered Italy during the pandemic when they couldn’t travel,” he said. “Now that they can leave the country, they increasingly choose to stay. Of all the Italians leaving home this Easter, 95 per cent remained in Italy, up from 80 per cent before Covid.”

That meant that tourist hotspots in towns and cities were besieged, with streets blocked in the Spanish Quarter in Naples as visitors tried to glimpse a shrine to the footballer Maradona — a hero to Napoli fans — and crowds surged into the Cinque Terre villages in Liguria, prompting talk of limiting the numbers.

In nearby Portofino, Viacava insisted his red-zone plan would not lead to limiting access to the tiny fishing village — population 369 — which is a desirable haven for the super-yachts of the jet set.

“The objective is not to make the place more exclusive but to allow everyone to enjoy our beauty,” he said. “We want to avoid dangerous situations caused by overcrowding.”

Known for its pastel-coloured houses, luxury boutiques and seafood restaurants, Portofino has long attracted celebrities: Richard the Lionheart is said to have dropped in on his way to the Holy Land in 1190.

The mayor said there would be no VIP favouritism in the issuing of fines. “Portofino isn’t anyone’s property, it belongs to everyone,” he said. “Everyone must respect it.”

At the meeting, there was also an exchange of opinions on other issues of mutual interest.