Wine, women and song? Not in Rome's streets

ROME (Reuters Life!) - Tourists to Rome risk no longer being able to quench their thirst or raise their voices as they stroll the city's historic streets.

The new right-wing mayor Gianni Alemanno has issued a "public decorum" ordinance forbidding eating, drinking, singing or "lounging around" on the streets of the capital's centre.

The measures will be introduced for an experimental period until the end of October and take effect immediately, an official at Alemanno's office told Reuters.

Alemanno, a former youth leader of a neo-fascist movement, made law and order a central plank of his campaign in April's city election, including a clampdown on immigrants and gypsies.

Among more commonplace bans on dropping litter, sleeping out, bill-posting and defecating in the street, it will also be prohibited to "pause to consume food or drink," and "shout, sing or be noisy."

The new rules on decorum will apply to "all areas of historic, cultural or artistic value, and in particular in the historic centre," the official said.

He added that the edict will be applied with "common sense".