A U.S. couple made a serious \u2014 and fineable \u2014 faux pas in the Floating City.<\/p>\n
NYC-based dietician Julia Latoff and her boyfriend Mike were on vacation in Venice, Italy when they decided to work off some of the pasta they\u2019d been eating with a long job around town.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth of us are runners, and we make an effort to run in almost every city we travel to,\u201d Latoff told\u00a0Newsweek.<\/a> <\/p>\n But the restorative morning run quickly became more of a humiliation ritual for the couple.<\/p>\n \u201cWe noticed people were like shaking their heads at us, looking disgusted and angry,\u201d Latoff shared in an Instagram post<\/a>. <\/p>\n American tourist Julia Latoff was caught off guard when she realized going shirtless was illegal in Venice. Instagram\/eats.by.julia<\/p>\n Latoff explained that because they were running in the high heat of early July, her boyfriend opted to go shirtless, as he often does in NYC.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had also run in Florence earlier that week and saw other shirtless runners, so we didn\u2019t think anything of it!\u201d she explained. <\/p>\n When a stranger shouted at them, the couple took the opportunity to investigate the issue. <\/p>\n A simple Google search revealed that Venice prohibits bare chests and swimwear in public streets and squares, and visitors can be fined up to \u20ac250 ($290) for stripping down in the popular tourist destination.<\/p>\n The rule, explicitly stated on the city council\u2019s website<\/a>, was introduced in 2018 to reinforce a culture of respect surrounding the city\u2019s religious landmarks, including the iconic Saint Mark\u2019s Basilica and the Santa Maria della Salute, which pays tribute to the Virgin Mary. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re hiding in a back alley while his sister tries to find a shirt so that we can make it home without getting a ticket,\u201d Latoff reported in her video, writing alongside the clip: \u201cPSA: If you are planning to travel to Venice, make sure you pack a running shirt!!!\u201d<\/p>\n Venice introduced a law in 2018 prohibiting swimwear and bare chests in the city. roobcio \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n The clip ends with Mike donning a recently purchased white Aperol Spritz t-shirt to finish out his run and the couple issuing an apology: <\/p>\n \u201cSorry, Venetian people, we didn\u2019t know!\u201d<\/p>\n As expected, grumbling commenters pounced on the couple\u2019s post.<\/p>\n \u201cTell me you are American without telling me you are American,\u201d bellowed one onlooker.<\/p>\n \u201cVenice is not a beach, and it\u2019s not a tourist playground,\u201d said another.<\/p>\n \u201cOh look, an American that thinks they don\u2019t need to respect the laws of foreign nations,\u201d chastised a third.<\/p>\n Others took a lighter tone.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re gonna accidentally break an extremely niche, obscure law in Italy\u2026 at least you looked incredibly good doing it,\u201d said one commenter. <\/p>\n The Venice City Council says the law is intended \u201cto preserve urban cleanliness and landscape.\u201d Instagram\/eats.by.julia<\/p>\n \u201cI love that men aren\u2019t allowed to show their nipples either. This is the equality we fight for,\u201d deadpanned another.<\/p>\n A ban on bare chests is one of several rules enforced by the Venice City Council \u201cto preserve urban cleanliness and landscape, and also for reasons of safety and public hygiene.\u201d But it\u2019s not the only thing that could get tourists into acqua calda (hot water).<\/p>\n Additional offenses include consuming food and drink while sitting on the ground, or lying down and loitering on canal banks, monuments, bridges, steps and high-water walkways.<\/p>\n Fines for these offenses range from \u20ac100 to \u20ac200 ($116 to $233).<\/p>\n Diving into or bathing in the city\u2019s canals and littering are also expressly forbidden and carry a fine of \u20ac350 ($408).<\/p>\n Meanwhile, feeding pigeons or seagulls, considered a \u201ccrime of crumbs,\u201d comes with a fine of 25 to 500 euros or $29 to $429.<\/p>\n Bicycles are also banned in the city, even if they are led by hand.<\/p>\n The sole exception is the route from Piazzale Roma to the Venezia Santa Lucia train station, where visitors are permitted to walk their bikes. <\/p>\n As for Latoff, she said she\u2019s learned from her bare-ly legal Italian experience.<\/p>\n \u201cMike still runs with his shirt off at home but he has been more wary when traveling, even in the U.S.,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n The couple recently posted a running montage<\/a> of their European vacation. They are fully clothed in all the pictures.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t