Holidaymakers travelling to Greece warned they could be fined for wearing the 'wrong shoes'
A warning has been issued to British holidaymakers travelling to Greece this summer over fears they could be fined for wearing the 'wrong shoes'.
Greek locals are keen to protect their history, with the officials now raising concerns that a certain type of shoe could be having a detrimental impact on historical structures.
These worries have led to bodies banning high heels in some parts of the country. People visiting iconic Athens landmarks such as the Acropolis and the Epidaurus Theatre have not been allowed to wear the formal shoes since 2009.
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If you are found to be flouting this ban then you could be slapped with a 900 Euro fine as well as being arrested. Currently the ban only applies to Athens’ ancient monuments, reports the Mirror.
Travel expert Mark Wolters shared a video to his Wolter’s World YouTube channel to warn tourists. He said: “There are no high-heeled shoes at the Acropolis.
Actually, there are no high-heeled shoes at most of the historic sites in Greece because the high-heeled shoes can chip the marble therefore they don’t want you wearing them. So sadly, there are no high-heeled shoes in Athens.”
Explaining the rule in 2009, Eleni Korka, Director of Greek Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, told MailOnline: “Female visitors must wear shoes that do not wound the monuments. These monuments have a skin that suffers and people must realise that.”
As well as anyone wearing heels, drunk people were barred from the historic sites in 2009. Food, drink and on-site performances were also barred as part of the conversation efforts.
Mark highlights the high heels ban law as one of “weirder” laws that can land tourists in hot water when they go away. He also warns travellers heading to Florence that they could get in trouble for eating gelato outside in certain streets.
Another unusual Italian law, Mark says, is the ban on feeding the pigeons in Venice’s iconic St Mark’s Square. He added: “Back in the day, you would go there and people would literally sell feed so you could have the pigeons cover you. Not anymore, if you feed the pigeons, you’re going to get a little fine.”
The law to stop visitors in Venice feeding pigeons was introduced in 2008. The fine can range from anywhere between €700 (£580) and €70 (£58).
Mark says Italy also has laws to protect historic monuments, pointing out that jumping in the Trevi Fountain in Rome is illegal. People can be fined up to €500 (£417) for taking a plunge in the historic fountain.
Mark explained: “If you’re in Rome and you’re going to hop in Trevi Fountain for a picture, you better believe you’re going to get a fine for that. And you may be thinking ‘I was hot, I was trying to cool off’ but that doesn’t matter.”
