The two men were spotted strolling bare-chested on Thursday afternoon, wheeling their bicycles through the busy square outside the church of San Simeon Piccolo.
Stopped by police, who patrol Venice on the lookout for disruptive behaviour, the pair were uncooperative and refused to produce ID, according to Venezia Today.
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Officers escorted them to the nearest police station, where they discovered a knife in a sheath attached to one of the bike frames.
They slapped the pair with a €250 fine each for going shirtless plus a €100 penalty for bringing bikes into the city centre. One of the men also faces a charge of illegally carrying a weapon.
Venice recently stiffened its penalties for bad behaviour in tourist thoroughfares, including a ban on bare chests or swimsuits anywhere in the Venetian lagoon, even aboard private boats or vehicles.
Other punishable acts include sitting on the steps of bridges, picnicking, bathing in canals or dirtying public places “in any way”. Fines can reach up to €500, while the worst offences can earn visitors a temporarily bar from the city altogether.
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Photo: DepositPhotos
As Italy prepares to host millions of visitors during another peak summer season, other tourist hotspots are taking similar precautions.
Rome promised to crack down on ticket touts and illegal street vending as well as rowdy behaviour around its monuments, while the villages of the Cinque Terre have threatened to fine holidaymakers up to €2,500 for trekking their scenic trails in flip flops or other unsuitable footwear.
These guys must have gone out of their way to anger the cops… I am surprised, nonetheless, that there is a law against walking a bike in centro. Seems like a solution in search of a problem.