Kissing is being encouraged around scenic spots in Italy due to a new tourist initiative.
Designated picturesque spots around the country have been furnished with signs saying Zona romantica (romantic zone) and Obbligatorio baciarsi, meaning “Kissing is obligatory”.
The most recent area to have adopted the rule is the commune of Anacapri on the island of Capri.
Although public displays of affection are encouraged at these viewpoints, there is no penalty for disobeying.
In Anacapri, a sign has been installed on the Belvedere del Sognatore (Dreamer’s Lookout), a beautiful spot that overlooks the Mediterranean near the Punta Carena lighthouse. Visitors reach it by a stairway cut into the rock.
The initiative also features in the medieval town of Trentinara in Campania, southern Italy, with the unique Italian tourism sign cropping up showing two people exchanging a kiss.
The lovers on the sign are two characters from an Italian tale, Saúl and Isabella – the “Romeo and Juliet of the Cilento coast”. The tale goes that Isabella’s family, of noble birth, opposed the couple’s union, and the lovers eventually threw themselves off a cliff.
A statue of the couple can be seen in the town, at the end of a road dedicated to love; while along the path, some houses are marked by verses of different poets telling the tragic love story.
The signs also feature in the coastal town of Sperlonga Latina, on the coast between Rome and Naples, which has even launched a photo competition to publicise their five designated romantic zones.
Some places have photos spots, signalling tourists where to point their camera, with others even providing novelty frames to stand behind.
Italy’s authorities often launch new rules and initiatives for tourists. Most recently visitors to Sorrento, on the Amalfi Coast, were told they could be fined up to €500 (£425) for strolling around shirtless or in a bikini.
Elsewhere, Venice will is planning to make day-trippers pay a fee to visit the historic lagoon city in a bid to manage visitor numbers.
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