Florence bans new short-term vacation rentals in Italian city's historic center

The city of Florence has announced an immediate ban on new short-term private vacation rentals in the city's historic center. The move is part of an effort to bring full-time residents back to one of Italy’s most popular tourist destinations. Mayor Dario Nardella called the measure “daring’’ but legally defensible. With the summer tourism about to begin, Nardella said Thursday that he was tired of waiting for Rome to come up with a national plan to preserve long-term rental housing. The Italian government is expected to adopt a plan that so far allows only the city of Venice to cap the number of days a property can be rented out at 120.