VENICE. Like a playground. As for a museum. As for a city under tourist siege. Yesterday, for the first time, to take a tour of Venice you had to pay for a ticket. “City access fee” was written on the bibs of the municipal employees called to verify the payment.
Five euros, to start with. “I have the exemption,” said Mr. Roberto Daloisio, who arrived from Turin with his family. «That is, I am exempt because I booked a room in a B&B, so we already pay the tourist tax». Right, it can go. Mr. Daolisio queued up at the ticket office for the vaporetti: 25 euros for a “daily pass”. “I understand making money,” he said. “But that seems a bit much to me.”
Here are the data from the first day: 113 thousand registered access requests, 15,700 paying, 97,300 thousand exempted. Total collection: 78,500 euros. An admirable summary of the situation was in the words of an accredited cameraman: «If you are from Veneto, you don’t pay. If you have the hotel, you don’t pay. If you are a friend of a resident, you don’t pay. Only if you come to eat a sandwich in Venice during the day, then you pay.” This is precisely the objective: to discourage less profitable tourism. In fact, the ticket requirement begins at eight in the morning and ends at four in the afternoon.
Venice says no to the “gabelle” to enter the city
So the scene at the exit from Santa Lucia station is this: in the front row, down the steps, yellow and white bibs to check the registration code. «Has he registered? Did you pay for the ticket?”. Nobody checks the reasons for the exemption. Not on the first day, at least. If you have it, pass. Large advertising cubes of different colors should serve to divide the flow of tourists from residents. The slogan is: «Is Venice a wonder not to be missed? Yes, but we need to protect it. Frame the QR code.” In the second row, the bibs of the official taxi drivers, in the third row the bibs of the “cruise people movers”. And in the midst of everything, the rumbling of the vaporettos and the flapping of the trolleys.
The mayor of the city, Luigi Brugnaro, shows up at 11 in the morning to explain the reasons for his decision: «We are the first in the world to do this thing, we are trying. We apologize for any misunderstandings, but the goal is to preserve Venice. Venice is an asset of humanity. We say to everyone, come, you are welcome, but we must raise the quality of life in this city. We need to respect the rules. Who knows, maybe other Italian historic centers might also be interested in this idea of bookability.”
Venice cannot be closed. But the Municipality wants to try to choose the most welcome guests. After the first experimental part of the project, the Administration hopes to arrive at “an entry ticket with a threshold”. That’s what they call it. It means that those who book early for a certain day will pay less. While those who want to enter even after exceeding a certain number of reservations – the fee is still to be defined – will pay more. Hypotheses under study: from 3 to 10 euros.
While German, American and Japanese tourists underwent ticket checks, protests from those who disagreed took place in Piazzale Roma. «Get out of Brugnaro dalla Lagoon!». They were girls and boys, citizens of Venice against the entry ticket. For example, Ruggero Tallom of the «No large ships» committee: «Only a madman could think that a medieval taxicab would solve the problem of mass tourism flows in Venice. On the contrary: this Administration is doing everything to increase them. They want to bring cruise ships back to the lagoon by digging the canals, they want to create two tourist hubs on the mainland to ferry tourists to areas that are still somewhat free such as Castello and Cannaregio. Brugnaro is not limiting Bed & Breakfasts, although there is a law that would allow him to do so. This is reality. There is no respect for the city in asking people to give up their freedom of movement.”
The event starts from Piazzale Roma, the last car park before the lagoon. There are checks on people arriving there too. Federica Tonibello of the social assembly for housing: «We don’t need the Municipality to make any more cash on tourism, we need far-sighted policies. We need more resident citizens, more homes and more services.” Venice is becoming depopulated of inhabitants, while it is filling up with tourists: 20 million visitors a year.
The procession goes through the streets, climbs the bridges, arrives in Campo Margherita. Retired professor Andreina Zitelli: «We are free citizens in a free national territory. Venice cannot be subjected to a tax.” Professor Luca Pes: «There is a constitutional problem, this provision is an excess of control over people’s lives. And then the ticket makes Venice even more touristy. He equates it to an amusement park.”
Sun, splendor. Lagoon smell. Back in front of the station. A group of flag-draped Venetians, led by Don Loriano Pellegrini from Val di Zoldo: «The ticket seems like bullshit to me». Next to him, a loyalist: «That ticket is Italian stuff, it doesn’t concern us. We don’t feel Italian.” Many are angry that their personal registration data will be handled by a private company.
When the first day is over, a controller agrees to tell what he experienced firsthand: «Almost everyone arrived prepared, with registration done. Only seven or eight people wanted to refuse. They were Venetians. They said: this is my city, what do you want? After the intervention of the police they came to more lenient advice.” At 4.01pm Venice was identical to itself again, as always unique for better or for worse.
