"Name: Venice tourists. Age: They have been turning up since the mid-18th century. Appearance: A blot on an otherwise beautiful landscape. Surely they're just there to have a good time? Increasingly, they seem to be hellbent on having too good a time. Are you referring to high spirits of a prosecutable nature? Yes, that sort of thing. Can you be more specific? In the latest example, a couple from the UK were caught celebrating the end of their holiday with a swim in the canal."
"The couple were reported to police, fined 450 (390) each and banned from Venice for 48 hours, effectively ending their holiday. That's harsh. Not to Venetians. The supporters of a campaign group are calling for much higher fines and permanent bans. What campaign group? It's called Venezia NON e Disneyland. Are you allowed to swim in the canals at Disneyland, then? Not really, no."
"They sunbathe in bikinis in front of historic churches. They paddleboard on waterways. They speed through the world heritage site on bicycles and electric scooters. They litter, feed pigeons and block overcrowded bridges. What's to be done? The authorities are cracking down since the beginning of the year officials have issued more than 1,000 expulsion orders for infractions. Is it working? Well, it's hard when the number of daily visitors is sometimes nearly twice the actual population of the city."
Tourists in Venice engage in repeated rule-breaking behaviors that strain local tolerance, heritage protection and public order. Examples include a UK couple filmed swimming in a canal, who were reported, fined €450 (£390) each and banned from Venice for 48 hours, ending their holiday. Supporters of the campaign Venezia NON e Disneyland call for much higher fines and permanent bans. Other infractions include jumping from bridges and buildings, surfing the Grand Canal, sunbathing in front of churches, paddleboarding, speeding on bicycles and scooters, littering, feeding pigeons and blocking bridges. Authorities have issued more than 1,000 expulsion orders since the start of the year. Daily visitor numbers sometimes approach twice the city's population.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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