Florence to ban outdoor restaurant seating in latest tourism crackdown

Florence, one of the most-visited cities in Italy, is cracking down on outdoor dining.

As part of new plans, outdoor seating will be banned across 50 different streets in the city.

This will mainly affect the UNESCO-protected city centre, as well as the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge.

Read more: Secret Florence passage that Medici family used to move safely reopens to public

Read more: Former Italian cultural minister defends woman who simulated sex with beloved Florence statue

The Piazzale degli Uffizi, near the city’s Uffizi Galleries, has also been told to stop placing seats outside, the Times reports.

On top of the bans, 73 other locations will face stricter rules on where they can place seating.

This could also see things like umbrellas banned.

These new anti-tourist measures have been met with a mixed response in Florence.

One local restaurant owner said: “Our outdoor seating is fundamental.”

Another added: “True restaurateurs have begun to close.

“They are crushed by impossible costs and by city policies more concerned with the aesthetics of outdoor seating than with the survival of those who brought these spaces to life.”

Despite these objections, many locals have praised the idea, saying outdoor seating often makes Florence’s narrow streets feel like “obstacle courses.”