Tourists heading to Italy this summer need to be aware of little-known rule that could get them kicked out of swimming pools
- The divisive rule is in place for hygiene reasons at public swimming pools
- Read More: Tourists face £430 fines for breaching new list of Italian beach rules
British holidaymakers heading to Italy this summer need to be aware of one little-known rule that could see them banned from public pools.
In swimming pools across the country, it is compulsory for visitors to wear a swimming cap.
According to the travel experts at Suncamp, the rule is in place for hygiene reasons.
They said: ‘The idea is that by wearing a swim cap you keep flakes of skin, hairs, and other dirt from your head out of the pool.’
The rule may be frustrating for parents with children as they have to put on the swim cap as soon as they want to go in the water and then take it off when they get out.
According to the travel website, Suncamp , it is compulsory to wear a swimming cap in the water for hygiene reasons in Italian campsites and public pools (stock image)
Campsites can request an exemption to this rule and some sites where it is an official rule don’t always enforce it.
Another rule that applies at Italian swimming pools is you must first wash your feet or shower at the entrance to the pool and topless sunbathing is forbidden.
In a post on Mumsnet one woman sought clarification on the matter asking if it was a new rule.
She wrote: ‘I’ve been looking at campsites in Spain and Italy and saw that in Italy swimming caps have to be worn in most public pools.
‘When I’ve been to Italy before This wasn’t the case so I don’t know if it’s something new that’s been bought in or if it’s only at certain places. Does anyone know what the deal is?’
Many suggested the rule has been around for years but recently they started enforcing it more.
One person wrote: ‘Yes, it seems to be a fairly new rule that has to be enforced by the staff at campsites and hotels.
‘We’ve been to Italy loads of times and it was the first time last summer that nobody was allowed in the pool without one.’
In a post on Mumsnet one woman sought clarification on the matter asking if it was a new rule
Another said: ‘It’s not new. I’ve been here since 1994 and have always experienced this. They might be enforcing it more now, but it’s always been a general rule.
‘They might not insist children with short hair do it, but long hair and adults, generally yes. ‘
While another wrote: ‘For hygiene reasons been the rule in public pools in Italy for many years, but since Covid they’ve really tightened up on it.
‘They don’t have to be those really tight ones though, the slightly looser material ones are also ok.’
There is no specific date mentioned for when swim caps became mandatory in Italian pools but it is a long-standing tradition and has been enforced for many years.
It comes after British tourists are facing heavy fines for breaching a list of Italian beach etiquette rules, which include eating an ice cream or a sandwich.
Residents and tourists in Sant’Antioco, a town on an island of the same name in southern Sardinia, were shocked by the catalogue of 23 activities that are prohibited on the beach.
The list includes taking part in sports, using stones to stabilise a sunshade and consuming any type of food.
The regulations, set in place by Ignazio Locci, mayor of Sant’Antioco, state the maximum charge for eating is £430.
Residents and media in the town, which is a popular destination for foreign holidaymakers and Italians, have criticised the restrictions.
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