Italy is known for many wonderful things: art, architecture, opera, hand gestures, and an enviable approach to coffee. But tucked among these cultural icons, there is something just as incredible: its delightfully peculiar laws. Some are old, some still enforced, and some are just baffling enough to raise an eyebrow and bring a smile. 

Whether aimed at preserving order or simply the peace of mind of locals, these rules tell us something about Italian society: it takes tradition seriously, but not always itself. To begin our journey into the legal oddities of the Bel Paese, we have to go back. All the way back to the third century BC. In the Roman town of Spoletium (modern-day Spoleto), a law was passed known as the Lex Luci Spoletina which, strangely enough for the time, wasn’t concerned with taxes nor war.