British holidaymakers are being warned they could face a hefty fine for wearing the wrong footwear at a popular tourist destination in Italy.
Cinque Terre National Park is an UNESCO World Heritage Site located on the coast of northern Italy, and welcomes around four million tourists each year.
Cinque Terre is made up of five towns - Corniglia, Manarola, Monterosso al Mare, Riomaggiore, and Vernazza.
These towns are connected by coastal trails, where walkers will see varied flora and wildlife.
How wearing flip flops in Cinque Terre could land you a £2,100 fine
Those using these marked trails are required to wear appropriate footwear, or risk being fined up to €2,500 (around £2,100).
While park authorities do not require visitors to wear technical mountaineering gear, shoes must meet three criteria:
- Non-slip sole
- Full foot coverage
- Good ankle support
Visitors to Italy's Cinque Terre National Park face hefty fines for wearing:
- Flip-flops
- Backless sandals
- Smooth-soled shoes
- Any footwear deemed inappropriate for rugged terrain
The measures, which were introduced in 2019, aim to reduce accidents on the trails, which feature steep slopes, damp rock surfaces, and elevation changes exceeding 400 metres.
Improper footwear has led to injuries requiring mountain rescue intervention and even temporary trail closures.
Idealista explains: "It’s easy to underestimate these paths.
"They sit above one of Italy’s most photographed coastlines, but they are not flat seaside promenades.
"The consequences go beyond a simple stumble. Accidents can lead to mountain rescue interventions and temporary trail closures."
What is the fine for wearing inappropriate footwear in Cinque Terre National Park?
Visitors wearing inappropriate footwear on marked trails in Cinque Terre National Park face fines ranging from €50 (around £43) to €2,500 (around £2,150).
Park staff and guards carry out checks and can also refuse entry.
The rules apply only to the park’s marked hiking trails and do not extend to the streets of Cinque Terre’s five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.
Wearing flip flops in these urban areas is not an offence.
More than 30,000 people denied entry to Europe due to EES
British holidaymakers are also being warned about Europe's new Entry Exit System (EES).
The EES was first introduced in October last year, before the rollout ramped up on April 10.
The new system requires British travellers and other non-EU visitors to provide biometric data, including fingerprints and facial scans, when entering the Schengen Area.
The latest data from the European Commission has revealed that more than 30,000 people have been denied entry into Europe since the rollout of the new EES, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin.
Of those denied entry, nearly 7,000 had previously overstayed in the Schengen Area, and around 800 were considered security threats.
More than 66 million entries and exits have been logged through the new system so far, the Majorca Daily Bulletin reported.
Who can be denied entry to Europe?
Under the Schengen Borders Code (SBC), guards can deny travellers from outside the EU entry to the area if they fail to meet the entry conditions under Regulation (EU) 2016/399, ETIAS.com explains.
Refusals typically relate to:
- Missing or invalid travel documents
- Insufficient financial means
- No proof of accommodation or purpose of stay
- Security and public order concerns
- Health or public safety issues
The new EES has received significant backlash since its introduction, with it causing long waits for passengers at airports.
Brits have been warned of six-hour waits at several major European airports, with these long waits expected to continue for another two years, according to industry experts.
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Major airlines, including Jet2 and Ryanair, have called for the rollout of the new system to be suspended until after the summer to allow for a "smoother airport experience" during peak travel season.
While CEO of Ryanair’s Malta subsidiary, Malta Air, David O’Brien, even threatened to pull all flights to Malta due to the extended wait times caused by the EES at airports.
Have you been fined for wearing flip-flops or inappropriate footwear in Cinque Terre? Let us know in the poll above or in the comments below.
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