‘Embarrassing’ American tourists break obscure law in Italian hotspot with common behavior — and face $300 fine

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A US couple made a serious — and fineable — faux pas in the Floating City.

NYC-based dietitian Julia Latoff and her boyfriend, endurance athlete Mike Naccarella, were on vacation in Venice, Italy, last month when they decided to work off some of the pasta they’d been eating with a long jog around town.

“Running while we’re traveling is something we do to get to know the city and to sightsee,” Latoff told The Post, sharing that she and Naccarella intentionally hit the cobblestones of Venice early to avoid crowds.

But the restorative morning run quickly became more of a humiliation ritual for the couple.

“Within the first 5 to 10 minutes, Mike noticed people looking at him and giving us glances. We knew something was off, but we weren’t sure exactly what it was,” said Latoff.

Though they began their ill-fated run around 7 AM, humidity was high, and temperatures were already in the high 80s, thus Naccarella opted to sprint shirtless as he often does in NYC.

“We had also run in Florence earlier that week and saw other shirtless runners, so we didn’t think anything of it!” Latoff. explained in an Instagram post.

When an older Italian man shouted to them, “this isn’t a beach,” the couple took the opportunity to investigate the issue.

“I ended up specifically googling ‘why am I getting dirty looks running in Venice?‘” Naccarella
told the Post, sharing that the search results revealed that Venice prohibits bare chests and swimwear in public streets and squares, and visitors can be fined up to €250 ($290) for stripping down.

The rule, explicitly stated on the city council’s website, was introduced in 2018 to reinforce a culture of respect surrounding the city’s religious landmarks, including the iconic Saint Mark’s Basilica and the Santa Maria della Salute, which pays tribute to the Virgin Mary.

Horrified at their discovery, the couple abandoned their route.

“I want to follow any of the rules that are in place in any area that I’m visiting,” said Naccarella.

To avoid further exposure, the couple ducked into an alley and assessed their options.

“We were two miles from where we were staying, and I knew I wasn’t going to continue to run and I didn’t wanna go back shirtless because I wanted to be respectful,” said

The couple was running with Naccarella’s sister and her fiancé, who heroically volunteered to purchase him a t-shirt to cover his bare torso.

The now viral clip ends with Mike donning a white “Creation of Adam-inspired” Aperol Spritz t-shirt to finish out his run and the couple issuing an apology:

“Sorry, Venetian people, we didn’t know!”

As expected, grumbling commenters pounced on the couple’s post.

“Tell me you are American without telling me you are American,” bellowed one onlooker.

“Venice is not a beach, and it’s not a tourist playground,” said another.

“Oh look, an American that thinks they don’t need to respect the laws of foreign nations,” chastised a third.

“If you’re gonna accidentally break an extremely niche, obscure law in Italy… at least you looked incredibly good doing it,” said one commenter.

“I love that men aren’t allowed to show their nipples either. This is the equality we fight for,” deadpanned another.

The couple was taken aback by the discourse their video inspired.

“I’m surprised at how angry people are, especially since we reconciled the situation immediately and our attitude was trying to be respectful,” said Latoff.

“People are just continuing to leave hateful comments about American travelers.”

While the couple has fielded their fair share of fury, more than a few commenters have shown their appreciation for Naccarella’s shirtless physique.

“It doesn’t really cover up the embarrassment I felt in the moment, but it is flattering nonetheless,” he admits.

A ban on bare chests is one of several rules enforced by the Venice City Council “to preserve urban cleanliness and landscape, and also for reasons of safety and public hygiene.” But it’s not the only thing that could get tourists into acqua calda (hot water).

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.

Fines for these offenses range from €100 to €200 ($116 to $233).

Diving into or bathing in the city’s canals and littering are also expressly forbidden and carry a fine of €350 ($408).

Meanwhile, feeding pigeons or seagulls, considered a “crime of crumbs,” comes with a fine of 25 to 500 euros or $29 to $429.

Bicycles are also banned in the city, even if they are led by hand.

The sole exception is the route from Piazzale Roma to the Venezia Santa Lucia train station, where visitors are permitted to walk their bikes.

As for Latoff, she said she’s learned from her bare-ly legal Italian experience.

“Everyone has the right to travel and explore, and hopefully, everyone can learn from our lesson and make sure that they’re mindful of the culture.“

She is also hopeful their story will engender more compassion toward tourists in all locales.

“We live in New York City and regularly interact with visitors who don’t know the norms; instead of treating tourists with frustration or anger, I encourage people to treat them with kindness.”

The couple recently posted a running montage of their European vacation. They are fully clothed in all the pictures.