Mayor Dario Nardella announced the initiative on Wednesday morning, and at lunchtime the first cleanings took place. 
 
 "From today, we'll be experimenting with a very simple measure: pouring water over the church steps to clean the spaces, and hopefully discourage people from eating, drinking and making a mess there," Nardella told reporters. 
 
 "If tourists want to sit there, they'll get wet," he said. "Florence is full of cafes with outdoor seating, tables, and benches. The churches aren't restaurants; they are religious and cultural sites." 
 
 The first places to get the treatment were the areas by the Basilica of Santa Croce and Santo Spirito church. Nardella said that after the initial "experiment", city authorities would evaluate whether the project should be extended to other areas, such as pavements. 
 
 Tourists outside the Santa Croce basilica. Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP 
 
 Some locals took to social media to criticize the move, with some complaining that it would deter tourists from the city or that it could be seen as elitist, in targeting those who choose to eat takeaway food rather than at pricey restaurants. 
 
 Others pointed out that in the current 30C heat, picnickers might not mind being showered with water. 
 
 #Nardella vuol bagnare i gradini delle chiese per impedire ai turisti di sedersi a mangiare. Orrore, la plebaglia che non va al ristorante. — FrauFrau (@Stefy_1987) May 31, 2017 
 
 "Nardella wants to soak the steps of churches to stop tourists from sitting down to eat. What horror, the rabble that doesn't go to restaurants." 
 
 In the afternoon, Nardella clarified the nature of the project, saying that the city would not be using "water cannons" on tourists, but simply cleaning church steps and pavements during lunchtime. 
 
 He further emphasized that the city was "in no way against tourists, but against those who do not respect Florence". 
 
 Nardella ruled out the possibility of introducing fines against those who eat in historic areas - as is the case in Rome's recently restored Spanish Steps, for example, where those who flout the ban on picnicking have found themselves hit with hefty fines. 
 
 "We are using a kinder measure, but one we believe is just as effective," he said. 
 
 The battle to protect Italy's ancient heritage from problems caused by mass tourism has become a hot topic over recent years. 
 
 READ MORE: 
 
 In Florence, food has been a key issue, and the city has passed regulations ordering new restaurants in the historic centre to sell only food which is at least 70 percent locally sourced. 
 
 
 
 Nardella also blocked an application from McDonald's to open a restaurant in the main square after a social media campaign by locals, a move which prompted the fast food chain to threaten legal action against the city. 
 
 
 
 The lagoon city of Venice in April introduced a slew of radical measures aimed at tackling overcrowding, from live people-counters to limits on tourist accommodation and promotion of lesser-explored areas. Two weeks later, the council also banned any new takeaway food shops from opening in the historic centre, in a bid at cutting down on littering. Only artisanal gelaterias were exempt from the ban. ||||| Dario Nardella to discourage people from ‘camping out’ by hosing down steps of Basilica of Santa Croce and other sites 
 
 The mayor of Florence has told tourists they will “get wet” if they settle down for lunch on the steps of some of the city’s prized churches as he is turning to hosepipes to restore “decorum” among visitors to the Renaissance city. 
 
 The steps of the Basilica of Santa Croce, the burial place of Michelangelo, will be the first to be hosed down, taking place at about lunchtime, in order to stop visitors from eating on them, followed by the Chiesa di Santo Spirito. 
 
 
 
 McDonald's claims $20m from Florence over piazza restaurant rebuff Read more 
 
 “We have nothing against tourists. We know that they are a great resource for our city,” the mayor, Dario Nardella, told The Guardian. 
 
 
 
 “But there is a problem with respecting decorum. The majority of visitors are respectful and elegant. But there has been an increase among those who don’t respect our cultural heritage, who sit down on church steps, eat their food and leave rubbish strewn on them.” 
 
 
 
 The streets of the city’s historic centre, a Unesco world heritage site, will also be hosed down as part of what will initially be an experiment to see if tourists can be discouraged from eating lunch on the steps. 
 
 
 
 Nardella directed the blame mostly at day-trippers, such as those on cruise itineraries, who “come for just a few hours”. He said: “It’s not that eating a sandwich while walking along the street is banned or that people can’t sit down at other times. 
 
 “We want to put people off from camping out. If they sit down, they’ll get wet. Instead of imposing fines, we thought this measure was more elegant.” 
 
 
 
 The measure is one of several implemented by Nardella in a city that attracts about 12 million tourists a year since he became mayor in 2014. 
 
 Concerned about the spread of fast-food outlets catering to backpackers, he introduced regulations in January last year stipulating that restaurants in the centre use products that were typical of the city and the Tuscany region. 
 
 He also blocked an application by McDonald’s to open an outlet in the historic Piazza del Duomo, prompting the US chain to seek €17.8m (£15.5m) in damages. 
 
 ||||| Fed up with hordes of tourists snacking on the steps of Renaissance churches and lounging in the streets, the mayor of Florence has come up with a radical approach — hose down the surfaces so they are too wet to sit on. 
 
 With few public benches in the city centre, visitors sprawl wherever they can find space, munching panini and licking ice creams on street kerbs and the steps of imposing basilicas such as Santo Spirito and Santa Croce. 
 
 The problem will only get worse as the peak tourist season of summer approaches. 
 
 Dario Nardella, the mayor, has had enough and has decided from today to deploy council workers armed with high-pressure hoses around the city centre.
– The mayor of Florence says some tourists have no "decorum" these days—something he hopes to fix with a water hose. Mayor Dario Nardella says a small number of the Italian city's 12 million annual tourists—particularly day-trippers from cruise ships—have taken to "camping out" on church steps at lunchtime. They "sit down on church steps, eat their food, and leave rubbish strewn on them," with no respect for "our cultural heritage," Nardella tells the Guardian. He says city officials thought about handing out fines to such tourists, but they decided instead to get creative. The plan: Use water hoses to soak church steps. That way, if tourists sit down, "they'll get wet," Nardella said in announcing the strategy Wednesday. Shortly after the announcement, the steps of both the Basilica of Santa Croce and the Chiesa di Santo Spirito were doused. In the future, this will be a daily occurrence, reports the Telegraph. "Instead of imposing fines, we thought this measure was more elegant," Nardella tells the Guardian, adding other areas might eventually get a wash as well. While some social media users joked that a free shower might be nice in the heat of summer, others have accused city officials of being "elitist" in targeting tourists who choose not to eat in Florence's restaurants, per the Local. Nardella counters that the city has plenty of outdoor seating for tourists. Churches, however, are no place for a picnic, he says. (Barcelona has an issue with its tourists, too.)