Legalities of busking
There are, in my experience, four main classes of busking regulations (with the occasional hybrid).
1. Permit required and pitches restricted (Venice, Florence, Siena, Bolzano)
2. Permit not required, but hazy definition of "busker" (Ferrara, Pistoia). In both cases the haziness resulted from the word "ambulante" or "ambulatory", and it doesn't matter if ten cops think you're kosher should the eleventh decide you're not.
3. Busking allowed but street selling prohibited (Padova, Brescia, Reggio Emilia). Padova presented a loophole, that I'm curious to try elsewhere, of displaying CDs without a sign listing prices.
4. Free-for-all (I don't want to list cities out of a superstition of jinxing them, but I'm not hoarding knowledge and would be happy to answer private inquiries)
In general I don't bother with permits since I'm only in a given place 4-6 days and the process often takes longer than that. And, as I've discovered in the past upon getting a permit, they often forbid the good places to play. So when I get "shifted" it's easier just to find somewhere else to play.
The key to not getting arrested is politeness and total acquiescence. I am indebted to buskers who go to jail to protect our right to perform, but I have no desire to join them. I'm hopeful I won't have to, and I've been lucky so far!




