Locals kept staring at American tourists. Then they realized the mistake they’d made

A U.S. couple vacationing in Venice, Italy, were forced into hiding after realizing they had made a potentially costly mistake.

Julia Latoff and her boyfriend, Mike, were on a family trip to Italy and Austria celebrating his grandparents’ 60th wedding anniversary when a stopoff in the world-famous Floating City took an unexpected turn. It all started when the couple decided to go for a run together.

“Both of us are runners, and we make an effort to run in almost every city we travel to,” Julia told Newsweek. “We both got into running right after college. I love that it’s an individual sport with a strong community.

“As a runner, you are constantly challenging yourself to get better, and running is hard in the best way, but the community offers great support and encouragement.”

However, what was supposed to be an opportunity to clear their heads and refresh themselves for the day ahead turned into a decidedly more anxious experience for the vacationing couple, and all because of the absence of a T-shirt.

“It was early July and very hot, so my boyfriend was running without a shirt, which is the norm in NYC in the summer where we live,” Julia said. “We had also run in Florence earlier that week and saw other shirtless runners, so we didn’t think anything of it!”

Once they started running through the streets of Venice, however, Julia realized something was off. She noticed people “shaking their heads” and looking “disgusted” at Mike.

“The local people were very upset, and that’s how we realized something was wrong,” Julia said. When someone yelled at the couple, they finally decided to stop and use their phones to figure out what the issue was.

They discovered that visitors to Venice can be fined for walking around shirtless in the historic city center, as local regulations prohibit bare-chested attire and swimwear in public streets and squares. Authorities introduced the rule to promote respectful behavior around the city’s cultural and religious landmarks, with offenders facing fines of up to €250 ($290) according to the Venice City Council.

Julia and Mike were stunned. “As soon as we realized what they were upset about, we hid in an alley and bought a shirt. It was an honest mistake, and we felt bad and embarrassed,” she wrote.

The fines for walking around bare-chested or in swimwear are one of several rules enforced by the Venice City Council to protect its historic environment, public hygiene and safety. Anyone who breaches these regulations can face administrative fines ranging from €25 to €500. For example, it is forbidden to eat or drink while sitting on the ground, or to sit or lie on banks, monuments, bridges, steps, wellheads and raised walkways, with fines of €100 to €200.

Swimming, diving or bathing in the canals is also prohibited and carries a €350 fine, while littering or dumping rubbish in public areas is also punishable by the same fine. Feeding pigeons or seagulls is not allowed and can attract fines of between €25 and €500, while bicycles are prohibited throughout Venice’s historic center, even when pushed by hand with offenders facing a €100 fine. Camping or bivouacking in public areas is also banned and punishable by a €200 fine.

In addition, those caught sitting or eating in prohibited places, swimming in canals, or camping in public spaces may be issued with a DASPO, an urban banning order that requires them to leave and stay away from the area where the offense occurred.

Julia later posted about the experience in a video shared on her Instagram account, @eats.by.julia, writing alongside the clip: “PSA: If you are planning to travel to Venice, make sure you pack a running shirt!!!”

Thankfully, Julia said both she and Mike have learned from the experience.

“Mike still runs with his shirt off at home but has been more wary when traveling, even in the U.S.,” she wrote.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Rebecca Flood and James Debens