Venice fines tourists $1G for making coffee on historic bridge
FOX NEWS - Two tourists to Venice, Italy, were forced to wake up and smell the coffee after getting smacked with a $1,067 fine for brewing up java with a travel cooker on the steps of a historic bridge.
On Friday, two German backpackers were blasted with the pricey fine for boldly brewing a cup of joe at the foot of the Rialto Bridge, BBC reports.
The tourists, ages 32 and 35, were also booted from the Italian city for the offense, which occurred at the oldest bridge of the Grand Canal. According to Newsweek, the Rialto recently underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation.
Overtourism is an increasing concern for Venetian lawmakers, with roughly 30 million visitors flocking to the city annually, per Newsweek. Venice has a population of about 55,000.
Brazen behavior from visitors has some politicians at their wits' end.
"Venice must be respected and those impolite people who come here and do what they want must understand that. Thanks to the local police, they will be sanctioned and removed," Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said of the news.
Rule breakers will be smacked with fines, as per the outlet, and local officials will inform the embassies and consolates of tourists' home nations of their rowdy actions.
In recent months, Venetian officials started charging admission fees for day-tripping tourists, a first for Italy.