Tourists slammed for silencing bell in historic Italian town

Pienza has silenced its bells at night (Image: Getty) Foreign tourists have been blamed for silencing a historic clock tower in the Italian town of Pienza. The clock tower bells in the Renaissance town, which is close to Siena, usually toll every 30 minutes. However, sleep deprived tourists have complained about the noise from the bells which will now be silenced between 10pm and 7am. The complaints are thought to have come primarily from American tourists who are more likely to be suffering from jetlag, reports The Telegraph . However, many local residents are unhappy with the decision as they have grown used to the bells’ toll. Pienza is a historic town in Italy (Image: Getty) Manolo Garosi, mayor of Pienza, said: ‘We received complaints from several owners of B&Bs. ‘They were mostly from the properties that are close to the main piazza and so near to the belltower.’ He added: ‘We are not the only ones to do this. Other towns that have bell towers have done just the same thing.’ The issue may have been made worse by shutters being open during the day (Image: Getty) Pienza has been listed as an UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996 and attracts many tourists. Tensions have been running high between tourists and locals in many top destinations this summer. Venice was recently put on UNESCO’s danger list due to the threat of tourism and rising sea levels in the city. Tourists have slammed several top destinations for being too crowded, while locals have complained about the pressure on local services. A British tourist recently sparked rage when he was filmed carving a name into Rome’s ancient Colosseum. Meanwhile in Bali, officials are cracking down on bad behaviour with several new rules for tourists.