A growing tourism trend of sticking used chewing gum to walls, which originated in the United States, has now reached historic European cities, prompting warnings from doctors about the potential spread of bacteria. Verona, Italy, has become the latest destination where tourists are leaving their mark on ancient walls near popular attractions.
Thousands of colorful pieces of chewed gum now adorn the 13th-century walls of Via Cappello, adjacent to "Juliet's Balcony" at Casa di Giulietta. This site, while not officially linked to Shakespeare's play, has become a pilgrimage spot for fans of Romeo and Juliet, with visitors leaving gum as a tribute to the fictional lovers.
This phenomenon is thought to have begun in the early 1990s in Seattle, Washington, with the "Gum Wall" near Pike Place Market. Initially a place for theatergoers to discard their gum, it evolved into a sticky, colorful display. By the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Seattle wall had grown to an estimated eight feet high and 54 feet wide, containing roughly one million pieces of gum. Despite a large-scale cleanup using industrial steam machines, the wall has since grown again.
Similar gum walls have also appeared in other U.S. cities, such as "Gum Alley" in San Luis Obispo, California. The trend's arrival in European cities like Verona suggests a global spread of this practice.
Health Concerns
Healthcare professionals express concern over the hygiene implications of these gum walls. Dr. Ellen Welch, an NHS General Practitioner and medical expert for Total Travel Protection, stated that walls covered in gum from numerous individuals are potential breeding grounds for bacteria and are extremely unhygienic. Research indicates that chewing gum can harbor and attract harmful bacteria for extended periods after disposal.
Dr. Welch advises visitors to avoid contact with gum walls, emphasizing the high risk of exposure to a large quantity of bacteria and potential illnesses. She also recommends refraining from adding to these walls, as it can expose individuals to existing bacteria and risk spreading their own. The Seattle Gum Wall, for instance, requires frequent cleaning due to pest attraction.
The practice of leaving gum on walls appears to be replacing a similar trend of attaching padlocks to tourist sites, which peaked around 2015. The Pont des Arts bridge in Paris famously accumulated thousands of "love locks" before city officials removed them in 2015 due to concerns about the bridge's structural integrity. The bridge was later fitted with plexiglass panels to deter the practice.
Verona's Casa di Giulietta became a paid attraction in 2025, with visitors now paying approximately $16 to access the balcony area. Previously, graffiti covered the nearby courtyard walls, but these have since been cleaned and are no longer accessible. Tourists have now shifted their attention to the main street, Via Cappello, using gum instead of markers.