Venice Mayor Fumes as Returning Tourists Vandalise Churches, Swim Naked
12:27 GMT 31.05.2022 (Updated: 10:59 GMT 05.03.2023)
© AP Photo / Antonio Calanni
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Venice is one of the world's most attractive tourist destinations, but the coronavirus pandemic cut the amount of visitors it welcomed during 2020 and 2021. Now that the majority of travel restrictions are lifted, tourists are flocking back, not necessarily bringing good manners with them.
Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro has expressed outrage over the lack of respect towards his city, after tourists flocked back to the Italian haven as COVID restrictions are eased.
"Venice is a World Heritage Site and it cannot be vandalised," Brugnaro tweeted on Monday. He also demanded "respect for the city and its inhabitants."
His remarks came after several sites in Venice were vandalised. On May 15, graffiti artists defaced the facade of the Retendore Church, covering it in pink paint in an equation form. According to reports, one of the local residents attempted to wash it off, but only made things worse after using water on the historic building. According to Brugnaro, the perpetrator has already been identified.
The mayor also revealed that another Venetian site, the Rio Marin Bridge, was vandalised with blue paint. "It will take hours to restore at a cost we can't yet calculate. We should keep these barbarians in a cell for at least a couple of nights", he said.
VERGOGNA! Imbrattato il Ponte sul Rio Marin.
— Luigi Brugnaro (@LuigiBrugnaro) May 15, 2022
Serviranno ora dei restauratori con costi non ancora calcolabili.
Al più presto poteri penali al giudice di pace per chi rovina e non rispetta La cosa pubblica.
Bisogna tenere questi incivili in cella almeno un paio di notti❗️ pic.twitter.com/o5QA1zCJ2W
Brugnaro also shared the aftermath of another incident that saw a religious statue destroyed on Venice mainland's Marghera.
"Enough with the havoc, the city must be respected!" the mayor demanded via Twitter.
Finally, a couple of city guests disturbingly thought that swimming naked in one of Venice's canals, which are not exactly famous for their clean water, was a good idea. The US tourists took their nude dip in a canal located in the residential district of Castello.
Their night-time endeavour was caught on CCTV, and several locals had the displeasure to watch the tourists swim where residents drain their sewage, before observing them towel up and head back into their rented apartment, CNN reported.
Venice and its lagoon are a part of the UNESCO World Heritage, with the 2020 coronavirus pandemic plunging the city into a lockdown that halted the flow of tourists. The lockdown, however, brought some unexpected results, with the usually murky waters turning clear enough for one to see fish.
