An unusual find. Now to visit Venice you have to pay 5 euros. This new obligation started yesterday, St. Mark’s Day, the Venetian national holiday. The influx of tourists damages the city. This is what Mayor Luigi Brugnaro claims: “Enough with mass tourism that damages artistic treasures.” The purpose of the ticket is therefore to reduce the influx of non-Venetian visitors. In fact, the related exemption extends not only to the inhabitants of the city but also to residents in the region.
From Udine every now and then on Sundays I used to leave with my family by train towards Venice. It was a special day. Just over an hour away you arrived at an extraordinary world that remained imprinted forever in the visitor’s minds. Udine is not part of Veneto so tickets will now have to be paid. Visits will be drastically reduced and not just due to cost. There’s all the time spent booking, paying and last but not least verifying on the spot that you own the ticket and the risk of it being fined if it gets lost.
A painful situation for those who are not exempted and partly also for those who are exempted. These days, however, nothing surprises us anymore. Venice is a unique cultural and historical space in the world accessible to millions of Italians and foreigners to spend a different day with their family. Something unheard of in an era in which the focus is on globalization in every sense and the consequent fading of culture and historical memory.
Yesterday, mainly in order to avoid tensions, the controls were “soft”, no fines and the possibility, for those who were not registered, to purchase the ticket or obtain an exemption. The approximately 75 stewards, spread across 15 control points, had to deal not only with tourists who were poorly informed about the news, but also with residents who were reluctant to show their document and prove that they were exempted.
There was also a “no to ticket” procession: “Venice is not a circus” they shouted. The police force avoided the assault, and the procession continued within the city.
