Rome cracks down on golf cart tours amid tourist transport debate

Rome's historic centre has long been navigated on foot, by Vespa, or increasingly by golf cart — a mode of tourist transport now drawing scrutiny from city authorities.

According to The Guardian, officials are moving to crack down on the trade, which they say risks "spiralling out of control" as the small vehicles proliferate around landmarks such as Piazza Navona, home to Gian Lorenzo Bernini's 17th-century Fountain of the Four Rivers.

Operators of the golf cart tours dispute the characterisation, arguing they are being targeted unfairly compared with other forms of tourist transport that have taken root in the Italian capital over the years, including the Fiat 500, the Vespa and the tuk-tuk.

The vehicles have become popular with visitors who want to cover long distances between sites without walking, particularly after exhausting days spent touring the city on foot. The Guardian cited the experience of Barry and Linda, visitors from Texas, who used a golf cart to cross Piazza Navona after an earlier three-hour walking tour toward the Sistine Chapel had left them worn out.

The dispute highlights a broader tension in cities with heavy tourist traffic: balancing the comfort sought by visitors against concerns from residents and officials about congestion and the preservation of historic pedestrian areas.

It remains unclear what specific restrictions Roman authorities plan to impose on the golf cart operators, or when any new rules might take effect.