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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial |
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ARTICLE VIEW: |
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Tourists fined and banned from Venice for swimming in canal |
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By Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN |
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Updated: |
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8:44 AM EDT, Mon September 15, 2025 |
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A couple from the United Kingdom had to cut their vacation in short |
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after being caught swimming in the . |
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The 35-year-old British man and his 25-year-old Romanian girlfriend |
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were forced to return to their home in the UK on Thursday, the same day |
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they arrived in the city, after gondoliers reported them to local |
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police for taking a dip in the canal. |
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The pair were fined €450 ($529) each and expelled from Venice for 48 |
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hours, marking the 1,136th such sanction to be handed down to badly |
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behaved tourists in the city so far this year, according to the Venice |
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City Police. |
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The unnamed couple took the plunge near the Accademia bridge near St. |
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Mark’s Square and gondoliers at the Rio San Vidal kiosk immediately |
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called authorities, who removed them from the water. |
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“I thank the gondoliers for their cooperation and timely |
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reporting,” said Venice Security Councillor Elisabetta Pesce in a |
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statement published by city authorities on Friday. |
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“Venice must be defended from those who disrespect it: protecting the |
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city means ensuring decorum for residents and visitors who experience |
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it with civility.” |
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Swimming in the Venice canals is prohibited for a variety of reasons, |
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including the intense boat traffic and the cleanliness — or lack |
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thereof — of the water, according to the city’s tourism ministry. |
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Of the 1,136 orders of expulsion from the city so far this year, about |
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10 were for swimming. |
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“Since the beginning of the year, we have issued a total of 1,136 |
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orders of expulsion for incidents of degradation and uncivilized |
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behavior,” Venice local police deputy commander Gianni Franzoi said |
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in a statement shared with CNN. |
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Poor visitor behavior is one of the worst byproducts of overtourism, |
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Franzoi said, and incidents are on the rise. |
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In July 2024, an Australian man was fined and expelled for diving off |
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the Rialto Bridge after his friends posted about it on social media. |
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The year before, two French tourists were fined and expelled for skinny |
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dipping in the canal under the moonlight. In August 2022, a German man |
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was fined and expelled for surfing in the canal. |
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Venice’s authorities have been trying to balance the need for visitor |
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income with residents’ demands for a city that works for them. |
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Day trippers now pay a €10 entrance fee on summer weekends and during |
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busy periods throughout the year. |
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The city has also banned tour groups of more than 25 people, |
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loudspeakers and megaphones, and even standing on narrow streets to |
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listen to tour guides. |
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“It was necessary to establish a system of penalties that would |
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effectively deter potential violations,” Pesce said when the |
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ordinance was passed in February. |
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“Our goal remains to combat all forms of irregularities related to |
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overtourism in the historic lagoon city center,” she added. |
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“The new rules for groups accompanied by guides encourage a more |
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sustainable form of tourism, while also ensuring greater protection and |
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safety in the city and better balancing the needs of Venice residents |
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and visitors.” |
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