• Proposal: Bulgari proposes to close at night the steps of the Spanish Steps of Rome

Tourists visiting Rome will no longer be able to sit on the steps of the Plaza de España, according to a new regulation of the City Council of the capital that foresees fines for those who fail to comply with it and whose objective is to preserve the cultural heritage.

Eight municipal police officers walk and watch that tourists who approach this stairway do not sit on the 135 steps that make it up, distributed on three levels, as usual until now.

In addition to the Plaza de España, the municipal order extends to all the monuments of the capital, such as the Trevi Fountain, and also prohibits access to public places with "indecent" clothing.

The punishment is an economic sanction that can vary from 150 euros , in the event that tourists who use the monuments to sit down, and up to 400 euros if they cause any damage, such as graffiti or incisions, City Hall sources explained to Efe.

In the case of the Staircase, the regulations aim to take care of one of the Roman spaces considered World Heritage by Unesco and expands the previous regulation that until now prevented eating and drinking on these marble stairs, inaugurated in 1725 by Pope Benedict XIII .

The measure has caused an unusual picture: the stairway of the Plaza de España completely deserted , as can be seen in numerous photographs published by local media.

The measure is not without controversy. For the municipal councilor Anna Vincenzoni it is a necessary initiative because of the number of tourists who visit Rome and damage the monuments. "Until this type of tourist is not educated, this is the right way to go," he told local media.

But not everyone agrees with the ban, like the critic Vittorio Sgarbi, who has considered the policy "excessive, almost fascist" and has asked the Roman City Council to study it again, because "there are many people who visit Rome and want to sit down to Admire the landscape".

In the same opinion is the president of the association of hoteliers in Rome, Giuseppe Roscioli, who has described it as an "absurd rule that punishes and drives away tourism."

The Staircase was built between 1723 and 1726 by order of Pope Clement XI to join the elevated area of ​​Pincio, dominated by the church of Trinidad de los Montes, and the Plaza de España, at its feet.

It is one of the most iconic places in the city and served as a location for films like 'Holidays in Rome', starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in 1953.

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