Emily in Paris made a tourist blunder in Rome. A local expert shares how to be a respectful visitor

01.10.2024 - 06:01 / euronews.com / Rebecca Ann Hughes

Rome is one of the most established tourist destinations in the world and 2025 is set to be a bumper year for visitor numbers. 

The Eternal City is celebrating a Jubilee, a special year for the Catholic church, and both religious and non-religious travellers are expected to pour in. 

The spotlight has also been turned on the Italian capital by the hit Netflix series Emily in Paris. Spoiler alert: the fourth season ends with the show’s protagonist, an American marketing executive living in the French capital, moving to Rome. 

However, initial portrayals of the Italian city - which is expected to be the filming location of season five - and Emily’s tourist experience have frustrated some residents. 

In particular, the character makes an etiquette blunder that could have landed her with a €250 fine. 

Films and TV series have recently been driving travellers’ choices of tourist destinations - a phenomenon known as set-jetting - so accurate and informative representations of locations are becoming even more important. 

With yet higher visitor numbers expected in Rome next year, responsible and respectful tourist behaviour will be paramount. 

Here’s the mistake Emily made and some tips from a local Rome tour guide on how to act when in Rome. 

In one scene from Emily in Paris, the protagonist and her Italian love interest sit down on the Spanish Steps. 

Since 2019, it has been illegal to use the 18th-century staircase as a resting place. Eagle-eyed officials kitted out with high-vis jackets and whistles are on hand to spot transgressors and hand out €250 fines for taking a seat and up to €400 if that results in any damage. Emily did not appear to be handed a fine.

The Colosseum, one of the city’s greatest archaeological treasures, is often the site of the most high-profile tourist violations. 

“Sadly, this iconic monument is frequently graffitied and defaced by visitors eager to leave a ‘memory’ of their trip,” says Dino Margiotta, who has been leading tours around the city for 15 years.

In response, the Italian government has introduced harsher penalties: offenders now risk a hefty €15,000 fine and up to 5 years in prison.  

“‘Rome is not like any other city. It's a big museum, a living room that shall be crossed on one's toes.’ This is how Alberto Sordi, one of the most famous Italian actors, described Rome,” says Margiotta. 

“I believe that when visiting any city, one should respect the place and avoid engaging in behaviours that might disturb the residents.”

Margiotta highlights littering as a problem, saying tourists drop rubbish even around monuments like the Trevi Fountain. 

“The Trevi Fountain, like the Colosseum or the Pantheon, is part of a cultural heritage that we all have a duty to preserve and protect,” he