Italian tourism beauty spot Sorrento is getting tough on visitors as the town’s mayor decried the lack of “decorum and decency” being shown by those parading around in bikinis.
Skimpy swimwear being worn by holidaymakers while walking around the Instagram-able location are now at risk of being slapped with heavy fines.
Those wearing bikinis or going topless outside of Sorrento’s beaches or pools could be penalised with fines of up to €500 (approximately £425).
It is not the first popular destination to take a hard line when it comes to policing the behaviour of sun-loving tourists, either.
Why has Sorrento banned bikinis?
The mayor of Sorrento said the way tourists go round in their skimps is making locals feel “discomfort and unease”.
Massimo Coppola said that if the behaviour was allowed to continue it could damage the town’s reputation and pulling power.
According to The Times, Mr Coppola said his town, located along the dramatic Amalfi coast in Italy’s south-west, had recently witnessed behaviour "contrary to decorum and to the decency that characterises civilised cohabitation”.
Sorrento is a much-loved picturesque town for visitors to Europe's mainland due to its pastel buildings and clifftop restaurants overlooking the crystal blue sea.
Its ideal setting has made it popular among jetsetting Instagrammers and influencers.
The resort offers views of the Bay of Naples and is a departure point for ferries to Capri and other locations along the Amalfi coast.
Other tourist destinations to ban bikinis
Sorrento is far from alone in demanding swimmers slip on some clothes before leaving the beach.
In Italy's Calabrian region, the town of Praia a Mare - a three-hour drive south from Sorrento - the mayor there has extended the ban from inappropriate attire to walking barefoot in the streets.
Elsewhere along the Mediterranean Sea, holidaymakers heading to the “paradise island” of Hvar, Croatia, are also threatened with steep fines if they do not cover up.
In 2017, the mayor warned tourists wearing just bikinis or swimming trunks could be stung with a penalty of up to £530.
The Spanish tourist spots of Barcelona and Majorca have both declared war on the scantily clad.
Since 2011, bikinis and topless men have been limited to the beach and surrounding streets in both the major city and the Brit-loved island.
In the coastal city of Barcelona, the penalty can be as much as €300 (about £255) while in Majorca the fee goes all the way up to €600 (£510) for anyone caught in a two-piece anywhere else.
Also in Majorca, a group of 11 restaurants in the resort have clubbed together to impose a new dress code.
Those associated with the Palma Beach brand will not allow revellers in if wearing football shirts or glow-in-the-dark hats in a crackdown against "drunken tourism".
Other items banned include tank tops without straps, swimming trunks, swimsuits and any accessories purchased from street vendors.
