Some more ‘eye watering tales’ :shock:
Blimey €85 for four coffees …I think I would have refused to pay it …nah on second thoughts i would have paid reluctantly…not keen on the thought of an Italian jail 
One good thing I discovered Aperol spritz in Venice…very nice
They can stuff their soggy city if I want to see it I can just go and look at a Canaletto in the National gallery .
Oh yes !!
It became my general drink of choice many years ago after seeing an Italian family celebrating in the restaurant we were eating at on the Grand Canal. It looked great, we asked the waiter what it was, he brought over the bottle, we ordered a couple, and never looked back.
The Aperol Spritz craze spread across Italy pretty fast and then hit the UK and much of modern Europe. Just about any pub or bar in the UK now serves Aperol Spritzes.
In the summer, it’s my No 1 choice.
If you love them too you should also try a Sicilian Spritz.
This is more or less the same thing but uses Limoncello instead of Aperol and some places also add a measur of gin to boot. Zesty and fresh it’s just as nice.
If you have a local Carluccio’s italian restaurant near you (good food BTW) then you can get one there. The spritzes are usually on offer, 2 for a tenner.
Sicilian Spritz sounds lovely…Carluccios has closed down in Ilkley but there is one in Leeds I will definitely try one next rime I’m there …thanks for the recomendation Realist.
Over-tourism: a global issue
The controversy surrounding large cruise ships isn’t unique to Venice. They have also been the subject of debate in popular destinations including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Dubrovnik and Marseille.
Justin Francis, CEO of green tour operator, Responsible Travel, told us: ‘Unesco sites are vulnerable and have limited capacity for tourists.
‘In these places, the high-volume, low-value cruise ships are contributing to the problems they’re facing.
‘Smaller vessels have a number of advantages, including that they allow tourists to visit smaller areas that are inaccessible to larger ships. However, too many small ships can also have negative impacts.’
Which are currently running a survey:
Tell us what you think…
Should cruise ships be banned from Unesco World Heritage Sites?
[LIST]
[]Yes, all cruise ships should be banned from Unesco World Heritage Sites 66%
[]Only ships over a certain size limit should be banned 31%
[*]No, tourist vessels of any size should be free to visit wherever they want 3%
[/LIST]
You see this is a bot of a sleight of hand comment TBH.
Low value?
I don’t think so.
Do you really think that the Barcelona, Dubrovnik or Venice governments/authorities would have spent $billions purpose building large berthing areas specifically for cruise ships???
I fear the article there is having you on.
Understand that some years ago, the beautiful city of Dubrovnik only had room for a couple of cruise ships and one of those would have to be moored in the bay outside the city walls. They since created a completely new cruise terminal which can hold 4 to 5 cruise ships, sited about a 15 min bus ride from the city. That cost many $millions to devlelop. It has a terminal for passengers and lounge/cafe area for cruise staff.
Then look at Venice. It’s government/authories too have in very recent years, invested massively in cruising tourism. They have also built massive new berths specifically for cruise ships. They can hold 5 to 6 ships at any one time I believe.
So let’s put this in perspective.
Cruise ships are not “low value” in any sense. The authorities are raking in $millions from cruise ship berthing fees which are for such places huge. Berthing fees for a day in Venice (depends on size of ship) can be maybe £80,000
or more. That’s for each ship, every day, 365 days a year. Do the math.
The many £1000s of passengers that visit typically spend money on food and drink in the cities thus supporting the many restaurants and bars. They also buy clothes, shoes, souvenirs and other items from shops. All money going into local shops and businesses.
So when we get down to it, who is it really that cruise ships are “low value” for?
I submit that it is only for the local people who don’t have any business that serves tourism.
And don’t get me wrong I have strong sympathy with those people. There is a need to preserve properly these beautiful places and to properly manage the levels of visitors.
The bigger problem is that the $billions being made by local authorities and maritime businesses from cruiseing is not being passed down the food change to the local people.
I’m guessing the fat cats just keep the money for themselves instead of investing most of it back into teh communitiesand infrastructure. Hence your average local resident sees crusing and other tourism as a negative thing because they aren’t getting a share of pie.
But isn’t that descriptive of gloabism everywhere on the planet at present? The elite and large conglomerates are busily pillaging and raping everything for profit regardless of anyone else’s concerns. They have acquired 99% of the world’s wealth and left the rest of us with 1%.
So there’s more going on here and demonising cruise ships is sadly a bit of a distraction from the truth.
Cruise shipping CAN be managed, the number of ships per day or week or year structured so as not to cause negative impacts. That doesn’t happen because the cruising industry is actually very HIGH value to local authorities.
Therefore the Venetians and others need to direct their angst and frustrations towards their own authorities rather than to cruise lines and tourists. They need to demand a share of the pie in the form of tax reliefs or better services and so on.
As a final note it should be noted that the farcical Which? survey there is deliberately offering limited choices in order to manipulate the results.
It’s patently clear to anyone with any degree of common sense that authorites simply need to properly manage the levels and numbers of cruise ships arriving. That sensible option however is not on Which?'s survey is it !!
I long since stopped reading Which? magazine. Its reviews are totally biased and not independent imho. You get far better advice from simply reading testimonies posted all over the internet. I would never ever now buy anything on the recommendation of Which?
Coronavirus: Venice canals clearer after lockdown
Residents of Venice are noticing a vast improvement in the quality of the famous canals that run through the city, which are running clear for the first time in years, and fish can even be seen in the usually murky waters.
The coronavirus lockdown has left Venice streets empty, and a drastic drop in water traffic means sediment in the canals has been able to settle.
That’s good news …
Venice bans cruise ships from historic centre
Italian authorities have approved a ban on cruise ships entering the historic centre of Venice. The country’s culture minister said on Wednesday that the decision came in response to a request from UN cultural body Unesco. Large ships will now have to dock at the city’s industrial port until a permanent solution is found.
Critics argue the ships cause pollution and erode the foundations of the city, which suffers from regular flooding.
On Wednesday, Italian ministers agreed that large cruise and container ships would no longer be able to enter the city’s Giudecca canal, which leads to the historic St Mark’s Square. Culture Minister Dario Franceschini hailed the move, made in response to a request from UN cultural body Unesco, as “a correct decision, awaited for years”.
Cruise ships are currently unable to enter Venice due to coronavirus restrictions but their absence since has been credited with improving water quality in the lagoons.
Previous initiatives to stop cruise ship traffic have also failed. In 2013, the government banned ships weighing more than 96,000 tonnes from the Giudecca canal, but the legislation was later overturned.
Other plans to divert cruise ships from the centre of Venice were announced in 2017 but were never fully implemented.
Probably the best non-COVID news this year so far … 
About bloody time if you ask me. I’ve seen photos taken from the landward side of St Marks of cruise ships moored up that tower OVER the top of the cathedral.
I have read that the only residents left in Venice are the ones that can’t afford to leave?
All the rest are business owners that live elsewhere !!
.Donkeyman!Any port planning to make use of Cruise ships, to bring in massive profits, needs to understand a few realities.
If you go on a cruise, the price, usually, includes the cost of the very fine meals provided on board.
The tendency to eat ashore might be much less, especially when you think of overcrowded, over priced, low quality meals available ashore.
Then there is the booze. Booze might seem expensive, on a cruise liner, but have a quick look at the prices in Venice!
So, apart from souvenirs, what are cruise users going to spend most of their money on?
A better move might be to tell Cruise Companies to shut down their Kitchens, and bars, when they get there.
That won’t happen.
So, the crowds are just walking through?
:-D:-D:-D
But is that what is actually happening Ted?
Surely they eat something during the day ?
And take a drink or two as well ??
But l see your point !!
Donkeyman!
Here’s a tip for anyone planning to visit Italian cities in the future. Don’t use the bars, cafés and restaurants in the main tourist areas and DO NOT sit at the tables provided outside any bars or cafés unless you want to be right royally ripped off. Always walk back a couple of blocks behind the main areas. You will always find a decent place for a drink or something to eat and the prices will be much more affordable.
Bravo, Italia!
I thoroughly agree, having been on a ship that berthed just a block down from St. Marks Square for two days, I worried about the ship’s impact on the piers, pilings, and buildings. Mooring there is totally unnecessary. Should I go back, I would certainly be willing to take additional transportation if it negatively affects any world heritage or important site.
Although I am guilty of You aren’t in traffic, you are traffic," and I understand the desire to bring tourism to a location, there has to be a happy medium when it comes to the number of ships allow to moor in one place. I cancelled a cruise this summer when I discovered on a ship schedule that there were going to be SEVEN ships moored in Santorini and Mykonos on the day of our arrival in those ports. That’s an onslaught of 20,000 people on those two small island! That crush of that much humanity just has to be too impactful on the hardscape, landscape, and locals.
Tips for cruising popular destinations:
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Look for cruises with late departures or double night stays in places like Venice that are overrun during the day.
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Check port schedules for the places you love most and chose cruises that will have few ships moored on departure days.
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Tender early and tender late, which usually means exploring on your own or skipping the cruise line’s excursions (which tend to be more expensive, anyway). Consider going back to the ship for a siesta and lunch when the crowds are at their max. D
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If you possibly can, see the popular attractions at night. It’s not just that the crowds are lighter; the ambiance is simply lovelier.
Duplicate post. Venice doesn’t need to hear from me twice.
Hi DM!
A trick, or two, quite often used on a cruise:-
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Enjoy a big breakfast (not so big that you’ll be looking for a bog when you get ashore)
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Buy only light snacks, and drinks, when ashore - having looked at the prices outside before you go in)
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Dinner & a show will, likely, be free back on board, this will fill up all the hours from 5 pm until bedtime
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Have a look at the organised tours, from the ship!
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Go ashore at peak times and you might have an experience similar to leaving a football ground at full time
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Don’t lean against the leaning Tower!
Saving Venice
Venice is under attack from climate change.
The sea level is rising rapidly. Flooding is becoming more frequent and more extreme.
With each inundation of seawater, more salt impregnates the city’s historic buildings.
As it crystallises, it rips the bricks, mortar and stone to shreds. The city is crumbling. Venice’s very existence is hanging in the balance.
Can scientists and engineers find ways to protect this unique jewel of architecture, beauty and culture before it’s too late?
Could the answer lie with a multi-billion dollar flood defence barrier? Or do Venetians need help from an ally who has helped their city for hundreds of years - nature?
In ‘Saving Venice,’ PBS show follows efforts to save ‘Floating City’
“Nova: Saving Venice,” on PBS stations Sept. 28, looks at recent — and controversial — attempts to fortify the city against flooding. The most famous one, the MOSE project, uses high-tech flood gates that rise from fixed places in the lagoon during high tide and inclement events, forming a barrier against excess water.
MOSE has been plagued by everything from budget woes to corruption accusations to anger from environmental groups that claim the flood barriers, which cost billions of dollars, disturb the native habitat of local birds.
The massive, years-long project faced its first big test in 2020. It worked, but weeks later officials miscalculated and didn’t activate the system, flooding the city and raising even more questions about how, and even whether, to stop the tide.
But the documentary doesn’t just focus on MOSE. Instead, it looks at other efforts to mitigate floods in the city, from the hunt for the reasons for the erosion beneath the city that’s causing its sinking to efforts to protect species that live in the lagoon.
A fascinating documentary that covers many of the rarely publicised efforts to protect and save the city … 
The iconic Italian city is at risk of “irreversible” damage from overwhelming tourism, overdevelopment and rising sea levels due to climate change, according to a report from Unesco. The agency aims to encourage the better preservation of the site for future.
A spokesperson for the Venice municipality said they will “carefully read” the proposal, Reuters reports. They added it will then be discussed with the Italian government.
The Unesco report blames the Italian authorities for a “lack of strategic vision” to solve the problems faced by one of Italy’s most picturesque cities. It is a blow for authorities, who are accused of failing to protect the historic city and surrounding lagoon.
The inclusion of Venice in the danger list had already been proposed by Unesco two years ago, but it was averted at the last minute due to some emergency measures adopted by the Italian government.
In particular, one of those measures was the decision to ban large ships - such as cruise ships - in the San Marco Canal, as well as the promise to launch an ambitious conservation plan for the city.
The ban on large ships is being enforced - even though Unesco says it should be extended to other models of boats which are very polluting. But the plan to save Venice was never implemented, and has remained a mirage.
So, despite the efforts of “technicians”, Venice may yet sink due to the lack of response from the “administrators”
Venice is to ban loudspeakers and tourist groups of more than 25 people, in a bid to ease the impact of mass tourism on the Italian city. The new rules will come into effect from June, the city said in a statement.
Over-tourism is widely recognised as an urgent issue for the canal city, one of the most visited places in Europe. In September, Venice approved the trial of a €5 (£4.30; $5.35) fee for daily visitors.
Elisabetta Pesce, the official with responsibility for the city’s security, said the latest policies are “aimed at improving the management of groups organised in the historic centre”.
The city is just 7.6 sq km (2.7 sq miles) in size but it hosted almost 13 million tourists in 2019, according to the Italian national statistics institute. Numbers of visitors are expected to exceed pre-pandemic levels in the coming years.
Small steps which are tactical and not strategic … Venice will continue to rot and sink … 