Visitors to Varenna, one of Lake Como’s best-known villages, can now face fines for walking through town shirtless or dressed only in swimwear.
The municipality has prohibited both forms of dress throughout its territory, with exceptions for beaches, piers, and boat docks. Violators face penalties ranging from €50 to €200 ($57 to $229). The measure applies to residents and visitors, although local officials introduced it as Varenna manages a growing influx of tourists. The town council approved the dress rules on June 26 as part of revisions to Varenna’s municipal police regulations.
The changes were already in effect by June 29, according to local outlet ComoZero. Officials said the policy aims to protect public decorum and residents’ quality of life in a historic lakeside community that receives hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Swimwear remains permitted on beaches and at piers and boat docks, but people cannot circulate elsewhere shirtless or dressed only in bathing suits.
Varenna Swimwear Ban Applies Beyond Lake Como Beaches
Varenna’s new dress requirement covers the entire municipality outside the listed waterfront exceptions. A person can wear swimwear on a beach, pier, or boat dock but cannot remain shirtless or dressed only in swimwear elsewhere in town. Local reports do not describe separate standards for men and women, and the municipal language applies generally to anyone circulating in prohibited clothing.
The change affects a compact destination where visitors commonly move between ferries, beaches, restaurants, shops, and historic attractions on foot. Local business owners have supported requiring appropriate clothing in shops, restaurants, churches, and the main square, Sky TG24 reports.
In a statement published by ComoZero, Mayor Mauro Manzoni said Varenna welcomes hundreds of thousands of international visitors each year while also protecting residents’ quality of life. He described tourism as essential to the local economy and said the municipality wants to manage it in a more orderly and respectful way. He added that the dress rules reflect Varenna’s identity as a historic village and a community where people live year-round.
Lake Como Town Also Restricts Tour Groups And Loudspeakers
The clothing rules form part of a broader revision aimed at reducing crowding and noise. Organized tour groups may now contain no more than 25 people. Guides and group leaders cannot use loudspeakers, megaphones, or other voice-amplification equipment. Groups must keep pedestrian routes clear and cannot stop in several busy locations, including Piazza San Giovanni, Via IV Novembre, Via Corrado Venini, Via Enrico Fermi, and parts of the historic village.
These tour-group restrictions carry penalties that differ from the swimwear fines. A guide who violates the rules can receive a fine ranging from €100 to €400 ($114 to $457). Repeat violations can result in a three- to 12-month prohibition on working as a guide within Varenna. The group limits do not apply to school field trips or parish youth groups.
