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WATCH: Venice mayor furious as two waterski down Grand Canal

Visitors and local residents watched in amazement as two people waterskied between boats along the Grand Canal in Venice on Wednesday.

Published: 17 August 2022 17:11 CEST
WATCH: Venice mayor furious as two waterski down Grand Canal
The Grand Canal in Venice was the scene of the latest episode of visitors behaving badly with a jet-ski ride on Wednesday. File photo: Marco BERTORELLO / AFP

The mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, reacted angrily after video footage of the two waterskiers weaving alongside gondolas and vaporetti was widely shared on social media.

He called the pair “arrogant imbeciles” and offered to “buy dinner” for anyone who could identify them.

“Here are two arrogant imbeciles making a mockery of the city,” Brugnaro said in a tweet resharing one of the videos.

“I ask everyone to help us to identify them to punish them,” he said, calling for mayors to be given “more powers” to ensure “public safety”.

“I’ll offer a dinner to the person who identifies them,” he added.

“Dumb and dumber,” commented one Venice resident on Twitter, while another user said: “Venice is not a playground”.

City police were reportedly investigating on Wednesday afternoon.

Venice police regularly hand out large fines and even ban people from the city centre under numerous rules on ‘decorum’, introduced following countless episodes of visitors causing damage or upsetting residents.

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VENICE

In Pictures: Protests in Venice after launch of €5 tourist fee

Venice was the scene of protests on Thursday as many locals objected to the launch of a €5 fee for day-trippers to enter the city.

Published: 25 April 2024 13:55 CEST
In Pictures: Protests in Venice after launch of €5 tourist fee

Venice launched a new scheme Thursday to charge day-trippers for entering the historic Italian city, a world first intended to ease the pressure of mass tourism — but many residents are opposed.

Visitors entering the UNESCO World Heritage site for the day have to buy a five-euro ($5.3) ticket, with inspectors carrying out spot checks at key entry points.

Around 10,000 tickets had been sold by the time the scheme began at 8:30 am (0630 GMT) on Thursday, according to Simone Venturini, the local councillor responsible for tourism.

Tourists stand outside the Santa Lucia railway station as they wait to pass controls, visitors entering the UNESCO World Heritage site for one day have to buy a five-euro ($5.3) ticket, in Venice, on 25 April 2024. (Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP)

“I think it’s good, because it will perhaps slow down the numbers of tourists in Venice,” said Sylvain Pelerin, a French tourist who has been visiting for more than 50 years.

Protestors hold banners as they take part in a demonstration against the new “Venice Access Fee”, organised by the list “Tutta la citta’ insieme” (The whole city together) and members of several Venetians trade associations in “Piazzale Roma” in Venice, on April 25, 2024. (Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP)

Overnight visitors, who already pay a tourist tax, will be exempt, as will minors under the age of 14 among others.

But not everyone is happy, with some residents set to protest against a measure they say curbs fundamental rights to freedom of movement.

“This is not a museum, it’s not a protected ecological area, you shouldn’t have to pay — it’s a city,” Marina Dodino from the local residents association ARCI, told AFP.

A woman holds a banner reading “Venice is not sold, it is defended” as protestors take part in a demonstration, against the new “Venice Access Fee”. Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP
 

 
Protestors hold banners as they take part in a demonstration against the new “Venice Access Fee”. Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP
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