Get inside: Florence rings in the changes for diners

Florence is a major drawcard for tourists in Tuscany, a beautiful and historic city that is best enjoyed off peak.

Over the summer season it can unbearably crowded.    

But now the Italian city is moving to limit one of its key drawcards - wining and dining al fresco in the old quarter.

Florence wants to restrict outdoor dining across large parts of its historic centre, hoping to rein in the impacts of mass tourism and restore public spaces to residents, travel news hub Travel Mole reports.

Under new regulations approved by the municipality in coordination with Italy’s cultural heritage authorities at the end of last year, outdoor dining structures will be banned on around 50 streets within the UNESCO-listed historic core. See https://www.visitflorence.com/

The affected areas are mainly narrow, high-traffic streets where tables, chairs, umbrellas and barriers have increasingly clogged pedestrian routes and obscured views of historic buildings.

In addition to the outright ban, stricter limitations will apply to more than 70 other locations, where restaurants may still be allowed outdoor seating but with tighter controls on size, layout and the use of coverings or fixed structures.

The goal, city officials say, is not to eliminate outdoor dining entirely but to restore balance in areas that have become overwhelmed.

The measures are scheduled to take effect in early 2026, although the city has not yet announced a precise start date.

A transition period has been built in to allow businesses time to adapt. Existing permits for outdoor dining structures must be reviewed or renewed under the new rules by mid-March 2026, effectively setting a practical deadline for compliance.

Florence’s city hall says the decision responds to long-standing complaints from residents who argue that some streets have turned into “open-air dining corridors,” making daily life difficult and eroding the character of the historic centre.

Officials also point to the need to safeguard Florence’s architectural heritage and ensure unobstructed views of iconic landmarks.

The ban will not apply uniformly across the city. Wider streets and larger piazzas, as well as areas outside the historic core, are expected to retain some form of outdoor dining.

Heritage advocates and resident groups have welcomed the move as overdue, while many restaurant owners warn it could hurt revenues, particularly during peak tourist seasons when outdoor tables are most profitable.

Image: Karon Morono, Scop.io

Italy awash with imbecile tourists

Italy seems to attract more than its fair share of nutty tourists.

Regular readers will recall the American idiot who was fined €500 for driving over the pedestrians-only centuries-old Ponte Vecchio bridge in Florence.

Then there was the tourist who had to be rescued after falling into the crater of Mount Vesuvius when taking a photo. Also American.

Last year we had a pair of tourists who were fined and briefly banned from Rome’s historic city centre after damaging the city’s historic Spanish Steps with electric scooters. Also Americans.

Then there were the two people seen riding eFoils, or electric surfboards, along the Grand Canal in Venice. This pair were Australians and were described as "imbeciles" by the Venice mayor.

Image: Twitter / @LuigiBrugnaro

And now authorities in Venice are searching for a "cretin" who jumped from a three-storey building into a canal. (image above)

Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro called the man shown in a video an "idiot: and promised to give him a "certificate of stupidity and a lot of kicks".

Officials say the man - and his companion who filmed the stunt - will be arrested if located. 

The man was wearing only boxer shorts when jumping into the canal.

“We are trying to identify him,” Brugnaro said. “He risked his life in that jump, but he is also a delinquent."

Image: Venice by Agata Bertolini, Scop.io

An American idiot outdoes other American idiots

An American tourist has been fined €500 for driving over the centuries-old Ponte Vecchio bridge in Florence.

The bridge is an iconic attraction that crosses the Arno River in the ancient city.

A 34-year-old Californian drove over the pedestrian bridge in a Fiat Panda rental car.

He claimed - with American ingenuity - that he was looking for a parking spot and didn’t notice he was on the bridge.

His fine included a penalty for driving without an international driver’s licence, Travel Mole reported.

The man was not named in a statement issued by the City of Florence press office.

The Ponte Vecchio is enclosed, lined with shops and normally full of pedestrians. On this occasion no one was hurt.

Image: Emanuele Semplici, Scop.io