Visitors to Rome will soon be hit with fines if they are caught snacking close to monuments and historical sites in the city center.

Under the law, hungry tourists could be fined between 25 and 500 euros (up to $646).

One Italian newspaper, La Repubblica, described the new law as a war against the sandwich.

Similar bans are in force in Venice, where eating snacks is prohibited in St. Mark's Square, as well as in Florence and Bologna.

— Kate Rice