Brits heading on holiday to Greece have been warned that they could get fined for wearing the wrong type of shoes.
With the first known settlements in Greece dating back to the Stone Ages, the nation is keen to protect its history. But officials have raised concerns about the impact a certain type of footwear could have on the historic structures.
It has led to high heels being banned in some parts of the European nation. Since 2009, visitors to iconic Athens landmarks such as the Acropolis and the Epidaurus Theatre have been expected to leave their heels at home.
Anyone flouting the rules could be arrested and slapped with a 900 Euro fine. It is worth noting however that the ban only applies to Athens’ ancient monuments.
In a video on his Wolter’s World YouTube channel, travel expert Mark Wolters warned: “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.”
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
