I Love Everything About ‘Emily in Paris’ Except Her Tourist Blunder in Rome

Look, there is nothing I look forward to more than brand-new episodes of “Emily in Paris.” The entire show is a spectacle of fashion and frivolity and is a show I could watch over and over again. However, in season four, episode nine, Emily makes one major mistake I simply can’t overlook. (Warning: There are very small spoilers ahead, so if you’re not caught up and don’t want to know even the tiniest details of what’s to come, maybe save this story for after you binge-watch.) 

In the episode, Emily makes her way to Rome to visit her new love interest, Marcello, on his home turf. The two take a tour around the city, exploring some of its greatest sites, including the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain, where Emily tosses a coin over her shoulder into the water, as every traveler really should do too.

Following a quick pit stop for wine and a snack, Emily and Marcello make their way to the Spanish Steps — and this is where the trouble starts. You see, the duo takes a seat on the steps, which is strictly forbidden. 

“Visitors are not allowed to sit on the steps. They are also forbidden to eat or write on the stairs,” Antonio Di Maggio, director of the municipal police of Rome, shared in a statement at the time. “Besides, some behaviors are also banned, such as selling goods without permission or dressing up as an ancient Roman officer to take pictures with tourists. We are here to make people follow these rules.”

In 2019, authorities in Rome banned sitting on the steps after they said too many tourists were spending too long relaxing on them, obstructing others from moving freely up and down the famous stairs. And it’s not just that officers will shoo you away — sitting on the steps could incur a fine of 250 Euros (about $270) or up to 400 Euros ($443) if the steps are found to be damaged by your sitting, according to CBC. 

This isn’t the only act that can get you in trouble in Rome. In 2019, authorities also passed other measures to protect monuments, including banning eating “messy” foods around historic sites. So no pizza, pasta, or gelato on the Spanish Steps or near the Trevi Fountain.

You also absolutely cannot drag or “bounce” a suitcase up or down the steps, as this, too, was banned in 2019. As Virginia Raggi, the mayor of Rome at the time stated: “Rome is, and always will be, welcoming, but that does not mean tolerating bad behavior and damage being done to our city.”

Luckily for Emily, she has a hunky new Italian beau to carry her luggage for her and hand-feed her pasta (seriously) in a more appropriate setting.