Italy bans large cruise ships from entering the waterways of Venice
Declaring the waterways of Venice a “national monument”, Italy has banned mammoth cruise ships from entering the lagoon city, which may be declared an endangered World Heritage Site by the United Nations later this month.
Italy’s Minister of Culture, Dario Franceschini, stated that the ban was urgently passed at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday and will take effect on August 1. It applies to the lagoon basin near St. Mark’s Square and the Giudecca Canal, Venice’s main marine artery.
Franceschini said the government decided to act quickly to “avoid specific risks”, namely that the United Nations cultural agency, UNESCO, included Venice on its “endangered world heritage” list after meeting in Beijing later this week.