Venice heartache: Cruise ships asked to find a solution before it's too late
The Venice port authority has called on Europe’s most popular cruise ship destinations to tighten their rules as the dangers posed by the massive vessels are taking a serious toll.
Italy’s transport minister has proposed a plan to divert massive shops from porting at Venice’s historic centre after five people were injured when a 13-deck shop hit a tourist boat along the busy Giudecca Canal.
The incident resulted in protests calling for big ships to be banned from the gorgeous Venice lagoon all together.
Ships weighing more than 1,000 tonnes will have to find a different waterway to settle into.
Venetians carried banners reading "Ships out of the lagoon" and "No big ships" while others turned to rowboats in the Venetian Lagoon.
Venice hosted 594 cruise ships in 2018, and critics argue the currents created by the vessels are causing costly damages to Renaissance buildings.
"They are destroying Venice, they are physically destroying Venice, physically destroying our lungs," activist Tommaso Cacciari told the ABC in March.
The cruise ship ban follows after a lengthy campaign by Venice residents for a better and more sustainable tourism model.