Welcome To Venice, Italy!
The world’s most famous “floating city” is an urban paradise – but there is a BIG BIG BIG problem lurking – more on that in a moment, but first, here are some amazing fun facts to share.
For example, Venice is 160 square miles – but only 3 feet above sea level!
It has more than 150 canals and 400 footbridges – and wasn’t built directly on the land of the islands but on wooden stilts!
Venice Is Sinking – But Not Because Of The Water…
All of these pictures are from websites that promote the beauty of the city, but underneath this facade is a very big problem that threatens to sink Venice for good.
You may have read many times about the fact that the city is slowly sinking back into the sea, but that’s not the biggest problem facing it right now…here are some pictures that are very unsettling:
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Venice Is Bein
[/caption]Venice Is Being Sunk – By People!
Wow, talk about crowded! You know things are bad when there’s a “gondola traffic jam!”
You see, FIFTEEN MILLION tourists go to Venice every year – and the weight of their impact on the city has gotten UGLY.
A Cruise Ship Controversy!
Look at the size of that Mega Cruise Ship! This is a far-too-common sight now in Venice, and the locals are rising up against it.
According to The Guardian.com:
“Earlier this month an estimated 2,000 Venetians marched against a tourism industry they argue has eroded their quality of life, that is damaging the environment and driving residents away: Venice’s population has fallen from about 175,000 in the post-second world war years to 55,000 today.”
My wife and I visited Venice a few years ago, and we were told that many locals can no longer afford the city – and the overwhelming impact of tourists is negative.
As The Guardian reports:
“Luciano Bortot, who was born here, is feeling anything but serene. “You’re asking me what it’s like to live with this crap?” he said. “It used to be wonderful, we had lots of artisans … the problem now is the mass tourism, the people who come for just a few hours and see nothing – it’s as much of a nightmare for them.”
So the impact of tourism has made the city more crowded, more expensive, and more deserted of locals – a bad trend.
Venice is magical in so many ways – so I hope they can come up with solution to the population decline, the sinking city, and the mega cruise ships that are clogging the city and depriving it of life…read the entire story here at TheGuardian.com:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/23/venice-tempers-boil-over-tourist-high-season#comment-102561838
As I said, my wife and I spent a week in Venice – during the offseason – and loved it:
You can wander for hours and always see something new – here are more pictures from my trip:
https://johnrieber.com/2016/03/17/the-majesty-of-venice-italys-floating-temple-of-beauty/
Let me know if you’ve gone to this magical city!
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Years ago and loved it. I love to walk and explore so remember just turning down small alleyways and taking it all in. Beautiful pictures.
I have a whole new story about Venice to come, but saw these mega-ships when I was there and understand the valid concern that they are really overwhelming the city…thanks for the comment!
We visited Venice last year… and no we didn’t take a cruise. We did spend a lot of time with locals and heard so much about the state of affairs. Very few natives still live in Venice and most of those left are aging out.
The hoards of foreign real estate investors, tourists, especially the day time visitors that come on cruise ships are causing havoc.
Cruises should be banned from Venice but there is too much money at stake for those that could take action.
It’s awesome that the residents are speaking up in large numbers. It’s about time.
I have been here- enjoyed it but I find the water more disconcerting than pretty. It is the whole what lurks beneath idea. I can imagine huge water rodents everywhere !
I was in Venice about 15 years ago. It wasn’t crowded and was beautiful. One of my top five favorite places that I’ve ever been, maybe my favorite. Very sad seeing all of those people and the cruise ships, ugh! I need to get my family there before it sinks:(
Have always wanted to visit Venice but never thought about how negative tourism can be! Can see why they wouldn’t want those gigantic cruise ships sailing in! It’s such a shame because it looks like a beautiful city but it’s become such a big tourist hot spot! I hope they can find the right balance to help the locals! Great post John, something I hadn’t thought about before.
Never been–but oh, what a tragedy! I had no idea that the number of residents has gotten so low. Very interesting. Thank you for this illuminating post!
Reblogged this on johnrieber and commented:
I have a new post on Venice coming soon but i experienced this firsthand…
I spent 4 days in Venice this year and was charmed by its dream-like calles and campos. I loved the pace that kind of follows the rhythm of the tides and the Vaporetto schedule; the fact there are no cars, and the glittering echoes of “La Serenissima” one can see in the palaccios along the Grand Canal. The other tourists were the worst part! I did a pub crawl with a local guide suggested by Rick Steves and that bit of local culture was the best and most enjoyable part of our visit. It is my dream to go back in the off season!! Thanks for sharing this article!
What time of year did you go? I think the story now is all about the height of summer turning it into the Las Vegas Strip!
I love Venice, but was overwhelmed by the amount of tourists there. I am not surprised it’s sinking!
I’ve always wanted to see Venice (all of Italy for that matter), but after seeing these pictures I don’t know. It’s a real shame the place has been overrun; I don’t blame the locals for trying to stop the tourism; at least ban the cruise ships. But your winter pictures were beautiful!
Winter is the time to go…much more relaxed
One city I have always wanted to see, but never have. And the reason for that is well illustrated by your photos. Too many tourists. I still promise myself that I will go one day, just not in the ‘season’. Trouble is, that season is becoming an all-year round thing.
Best wishes, Pete.
Pete, we went there for New Years, and mostly it was quiet and serene…just a bit colder at night…the crowds are really driving out the locals, however, and that’s the biggest issue for me