The Tuscan city of Pistoia has banned new fast-food restaurants and sex shops from opening in the historic centre, as well as ordering that all store signs must be written only using the Latin alphabet. The tough new rules were set out by the city council on Monday, and apply to the entire historic centre of the medieval city.

New shop signs and window decals may not be neon, and "must be composed of the Latin alphabet's own characters, except for texts translated for communication with tourists," the regulation states. And that's not all: new businesses will have to submit an application outlining "the aesthetic impact of the business on the historical context" of the city centre before being approved.