From early next year, turnstiles at the train station will check whether tourists have paid to enter, while about 15 controllers will carry out spot checks in the city, with fines of up to €300 for visitors without passes.
Italy’s floating city will become the first in the world to charge an entrance fee.But some say everyone in the world has a right to see Venice, booking or no booking.The city long referred to as La Serenissima, translated into English as The Most Serene, is no longer so peaceful.
“COVID made us realise that what was an everyday occurrence before isn’t acceptable anymore,” Venice tourism commissioner Simone Venturini says. “The mentality has changed, as has the sensitivity towards crowds.”The new fee will come into action from January 16 next year, making it the first city in the world to charge an entrance fee. Tourists who choose not to stay overnight in hotels or other accommodation will have to sign up online in advance for the day they plan to come and pay a fee.
“But I have a duty to make this city liveable for those who inhabit it and also for those who want to visit,” he said. The plans were approved by the Italian Parliament in December that year but have continually been kicked down the road. They clog the narrow streets and take selfies on bridges, generate rubbish and add to the wear and tear of a delicate urban fabric at the UNESCO World Heritage site. It has made life almost unbearable for locals who live or work there.
“Districts like Castello and Santa Croce are beautiful, but they stay empty most of the day and would finally come back to life,” he says. More a museum than a modern city, it has become addicted to the cash the tourist hoards bring in. But the damage caused by unregulated tourism has been acute, placing a huge strain on its ancient infrastructure.Flooding, known as “acqua alta”, has become more frequent, with the worst surge in more than 50 years causing an estimated 1 billion euros in damage in 2019. To protect the city, Italy’s government approved measures last year to ban large cruise ships in the Venetian lagoon.
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