The ban on huge cruise ships in the Venetian lagoon, ordered by the Italian government in January has been suspended by a regional court in the Veneto—Venice’s region—on grounds that there aren’t any reasonable alternatives. The ban was based on environmental damage to the fragile city and lagoon caused by the big ships. The case will be reconsidered in June.
Local divisions over the issue continue: among those asking the court to lift the ban were Venice’s port authority, but the Mayor is among those who originally called for the ban. From U.K.’s Daily Mail, more DETAILS.
A big “Don’t Like” for the lobbyists and court in Venice. What, I wonder, is the “practical alternative” for the city that’s being irreparably damaged by the transit of these ships. I suppose the usual, take the bribe and leave it to their children to fix.
The only alternatives I can see are to build a new cruise port outside the lagoon. Chioggia might be too far, but perhaps just north of the main way into the lagoon, across the inlet from the Lido. That would provide land-based alternatives for other day trips from the boats, and could also be served by vaporetto-sized boats heading into Venice itself.
Of course, I haven’t consulted the folks who live there and run campgrounds there…
A perfectly logical solution if, indeed, logic applied in a system that officially condones adding insult to the injury Venice is already suffering. I predict, not in our lifetimes.