Why Do So Many Tourists Inundate Venice and Other Fragile Places?

The Puzzle of Mass Tourism     The city of Venice has recently announced a plan to control the overwhelming number of tourists clogging this tiny Medieval city, especially during high season, which runs from April to September, and during Carnevale in February. There will be no attempt, for now, to limit the number of arrivals, just a system to discourage people from making short visits during the busiest times. As of January 16th, 2023, a visitor must make a reservation online if they want to visit the city but not stay…

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All Roads Lead to Venice

Newly Discovered Roman Road Found on the Floor of the Venetian Lagoon     Last week, archaeologists announced the discovery of an old Roman road, remnants of docks, and indications of large buildings, sitting on the bottom of the Venetian lagoon. Romans left the Veneto, the Province which includes the lagoon and the contemporary city of Venice by 475 A.D. as their Empire fell apart, so this road is important because it is concrete evidence of stable and active life in the lagoon before that time. Beyond taking in the idea that human artifacts can…

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The Joy of Venetain Street Art

How Venetian Artists Keep Their City Alive (Vatican Stamp with art appropriated from Alessia Babrow) In spring 2020, Italian artist Alessia Babrow got a real shock when the Vatican issued an Easter stamp using a piece of her street art. Babrow had been posting a series of images up on walls and corners all over Rome for a project she calls “Just Use It,” but the wording didn’t mean anyone could then take her art for their own purposes. As reported by international media outlets, Babrow puts hearts on all the great…

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Happy 1600th Birthday Venice

Or is it various birthdays?   March 25th was the 1600th birthday of the founding of Venice. Or so the story goes. It’s a tale of two gentlemen from Padua, a town on the mainland about 30 miles west of Venice. On March 25th, 421 CE they were rowing or sailing in the lagoon and happened upon one of the many small islands, this one called Rivoaltus, that constitute what we now call the city of Venice. The Paduans moored their boat and then put a couple of stones on the ground to mark the moment,…

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