Venetian lawmakers once attempted to outlaw the use of hard-wheeled suitcases because the relentless clattering over historic cobblestones was driving the local residents to the brink of insanity.

A closer look

Venetian lawmakers once attempted to outlaw the use of hard-wheeled suitcases because the relentless clattering over historic cobblestones was driving the local residents to the brink of insanity. While the full ban was eventually softened, authorities still heavily encourage tourists to use pneumatic, air-filled tires or simply carry their excessive baggage by hand. The acoustic nightmare of millions of polyester-clad tourists dragging cheap plastic wheels across centuries-old bridges is arguably a worse form of modern pollution than the cruise ships destroying the lagoon. So if you plan on packing five pairs of shoes for a weekend trip, prepare to drag that dead weight over endless medieval staircases while the remaining locals glare at you from their windows, plotting your demise