Italy's beautiful town imposes hefty fine on tourists for taking selfies

The tourists as well as the people are being slapped with a hefty fine in an Italian town if the local authorities catch them taking a selfie.

Italy's Portofino, which is situated on the Italian Riviera, is among the various incredible beautiful towns that attract thousands of tourists every year to the boot-shaped country.

The picturesque town is a perfect place for travellers looking for pastel-coloured houses, seafood restaurants and high-end boutiques. However, for the selfie-lovers, the town may not be the best place to visit.

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No-waiting zones have been introduced by the local government in the town to prevent tourists and visitors from 'lingering' for a long period of time in popular tourist spots.

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If a person is caught by local officials taking a selfie in specific spots then they may have to pay a fine of €275 ($303).

Portofino's mayor Matteo Viacava said that people taking selfies cause "anarchic chaos", which includes blocked streets and huge traffic jams.

The local government had introduced the rule over the Easter weekend and plans to keep the selfie rule imposed till the holiday season ends in October.

For tourists who are desperate to take a selfie of themselves in the forbidden zones, the ban imposed by the local government is lifted every day at 6pm. Portofino is not the only town where the authorities have banned people from taking selfies.

Japan's railway authorities have forbidden people from using selfie sticks across the railway network fearing that the selfie-takers may touch overhead wiring mistakenly and electrocute themselves.

In the United Kingdom, people have been banned from taking selfies in parts of the Tower of London because of security concerns related to the Crown Jewels. Taking any kind of photos or videos with royal gems is strictly forbidden inside the Jewel House as it may pose threat to their security.

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In Spain, the government has banned people from taking selfies during the annual Running of the Bulls event which is held in Pamplona. The rule has been imposed to avoid people from getting hit by the running bulls and those caught clicking themselves have been fined €3000 ($3,305).

The authorities taking care of California's Lake Tahoe have also banned the practice of taking selfies as too many visitors were seen trying to snap themselves along with the bears.

“We’ve had mobs of people that are actually rushing toward the bears trying to get a ‘selfie’ photo,” said Lisa Herron, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit's spokesperson, while speaking to the Reno Gazette-Journal in 2014.

“It is presenting a safety issue. We are afraid someone is going to get attacked,” she added.

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