No longer just the monumental heart of the city. In Florence the battle against the uncontrolled expansion of tourist rentals extends beyond the UNESCO area and involves entire residential neighborhoods overwhelmed in recent years by the advance of short-term rentals. The council led by mayor Sara Funaro has approved a new resolution which extends the ban on the opening of new businesses in nine strategic areas of the city.
The new areas affected are Campo di Marte, Gavinana, San Jacopino, Statuto, Rifredi, Libertà , Savonarola, Bronzino and San Frediano-Pignoncino, territories where the boom in tourist apartments is changing the social face of the neighborhoods.
The map of the city that changes under the pressure of tourism
Behind Palazzo Vecchio’s decision there is a study developed by the MEMOTEF department of La Sapienza University together with the municipal statistics office. The data tells of an impressive transformation: over 67 thousand residential units live in the new areas involved, while in the historic center already subjected to restrictions there are around 35 thousand residential properties.
The analysis identifies a specific risk: the so-called spillover effect, i.e. the movement of tourist rentals out of the center towards the neighboring neighbourhoods. Some areas, such as Pignoncino and San Frediano, have recorded growth of more than 90% in apartments intended for visitors.
In the meantime, tourism continues to boom. Florence in 2025 exceeded 4.7 million arrivals and 11.5 million presences, with an increase of over 10% compared to the previous year. Short-term rentals now represent more than half of the beds available in the city.
Stricter rules: authorizations, square footage and sanctions
The municipal regulation, which came into force in May 2025, introduces very strict constraints. To open a tourist rental you need an authorization valid for five years, linked to both the owner and the property. In case of sale, the permit automatically lapses.
Stringent technical criteria are also envisaged: the apartments must have at least 28 square metres, single rooms of 9 square meters and double rooms of at least 14. Registration in the municipal register of tourist rentals is also mandatory. The penalties are heavy: ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 euros, up to the revocation of the authorization in case of repeated violations or evasion of the tourist tax.
Political and economic clash: divided city on the Florence model
The measure immediately sparked conflict. Property managers speak of an attack on a sector involving businesses, maintenance workers, cleaners and hospitality professionals. According to operators, the first blocks would not bring residents back to the center or reduce traditional rents.
On the opposite front, trade unions and housing rights movements support the need to stop an urban transformation that risks expelling residents from historic neighborhoods. Florence thus becomes the first large Italian laboratory for the regulation of residential tourism, in the absence of a national law.
You might also be interested in:
