Here’s bad news for visitors to Venice, and good news for entrepreneurs and chiropractors: roller suitcases are soon to be illegal in the Italian city.
The Venice City Council has announced that beginning May 2015, any tourist seen using a bag with hard wheels will be subject to a fine of 500 Euros (about $620), in the name of decreasing noise pollution for locals and wear and tear to the old city’s delicate streets and bridges.
So anyone unable to shlep their bags over their backs to their hotel, or carry them with the handles like people did in the 70s, is going to need some help – many parts of Venice aren’t accessible to cars.
And the real kicker, according to the local newspaper that reported this? Locals are exempt from the law.
The City Council’s solution to the ban is that it’s OK to use bags with inflatable tires – too bad no such bag exists yet.
According to the local Il Gazzettino newspaper, city officials say the ban will be a relief for local residents and shopkeepers who were suffering “serious discomfort” from the daily cacophony of bag wheels. They also noted “progressive deterioration” of the city’s fragile infrastructure.
Some initial reactions to the news over Twitter:
Still, until a soft-wheeled suitcase hits the market, one wonders how people who are physically unable to lift their bags for long distances are going to adapt to this ban. Hire a designated bag gondolier? Or simply plan their romantic vacation somewhere else?
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