Julia Buckley, CNN

 

(CNN) — Summer in the northern hemisphere is hotting up, travel chaos reigns, and tourists are intent on having some "revenge travel."

 

And in Venice, that makes for a perfect storm of visitors behaving badly. The past couple of weeks have seen a slew of tourist transgressions in the city, from skinny dipping in the UNESCO-preserved canals to vandalizing one of the city's iconic churches.

 

On the night of May 15-16, the façade of the Redentore church -- designed by Renaissance "starchitect" Andrea Palladio, and the site of perhaps the city's most famous festival -- was vandalized.

 

Full story: https://us.cnn.com/travel/article/venice-vandalism-naked-swimming/index.html

 

-- © Copyright CNN 2022-05-28

Venice should ban all visitors under the age of 60, problem solved. Seriously. I would love it even more if they did. 

As for the vandalism, Venice is expensive to visit (as well as a bit of a pain to get in), and is noted for its strong Christian legacy--why would one bother to go there if they hate that element?

3 hours ago, Enzian said:

why would one bother to go there if they hate that element?

Perhaps because the people who "paint" like that just either have no respect or are still "children" thinking what a great laugh ????. I hope they are suitably punished to try and make them think before they do something similar again but these days who knows.......

 

Nude swimmers in the canal - I pity their mental acuities considering it is pretty well known what the state of the water is like.....

1 minute ago, topt said:

Nude swimmers in the canal - I pity their mental acuities considering it is pretty well known what the state of the water is like.....

Last time I was there was 2003 and even 19 years ago it was filthy so doubt that they have got any better since. Wonder what nationalities were the ones swimming nude in that filth ?

1 hour ago, Excel said:

Last time I was there was 2003 and even 19 years ago it was filthy so doubt that they have got any better since. Wonder what nationalities were the ones swimming nude in that filth ?

Last time I was there was 1970, and even then the canals were filthy like hell. 

4 hours ago, Enzian said:

why would one bother to go there if they hate that element?

To vandalise it?

Almost understand the skinny dipping, but in the canals, and hopefully cleaner than most city canals I've seen.

 

But the vandalism, and a church.  That's just wrong, and I'm an Atheist.   Sunday they can confess their sins, then they're good for another week.

 

Praise Jesus

Venices canals are foul, absolutely foul. Take your serious chances swimming in them. The images of gondolas plying them serenely and idyllically are void of smellavision ... peeeuuuwww!

1 hour ago, Excel said:

Last time I was there was 2003 and even 19 years ago it was filthy so doubt that they have got any better since. Wonder what nationalities were the ones swimming nude in that filth ?

Says American in the article.

Try Vegas.

 

51 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

To vandalise it?

They probably went there to vandalize the church because they hate authorities, and swimming through the canals is often the only way to access a building in Venice. 

And police are now looking for CCTV footage of the skinny dippers.

Boys will be boys the world over.

7 hours ago, webfact said:

skinny dipping

This is absolutely disgusting!

 

The canal water is very dirty. Pimples expected.

Actually, when enforcement of covid rules was strictest and no cruise ships were allowed, and few vaporettos were plying the water, the water in the canals cleared and fish returned. The most dangerous agents of vandalism are the giant cruise ships.

'Nature is taking back Venice': wildlife returns to tourist-free city

With the cruise ships gone and the souvenir stalls closed, the coronavirus lockdown has transformed La Serenissima’s waterways

Look down into the waters of the Venice canals today and there is a surprising sight – not just a clear view of the sandy bed, but shoals of tiny fish, scuttling crabs and multicoloured plant-life.

“The water is blue and clear,” said Gloria Beggiato, who owns the celebrated Metropole Hotel a few steps from St Mark’s square and has a view over the Venice lagoon.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/20/nature-is-taking-back-venice-wildlife-returns-to-tourist-free-city

Result !

Shocked locals observed them swimming for around five minutes in the water -- into which nearby houses drain their sewage

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

To vandalise it?

You're obviously right, that's possible. I'm just glad my mind isn't shaped enough that way to immediately see it.

But really it's like, Venice is on our bucket list, young as we are, so we gotta see it, and try to have some fun, and maybe eff stuff up to show we exist, or have the right to exist.

Edited May 28, 20224 yr by Enzian
add please

1 hour ago, mackayae said:

Try Vegas.

 

Good one, nice hotel!

8 hours ago, webfact said:

Summer in the northern hemisphere is hotting up, travel chaos reigns, and tourists are intent on having some "revenge travel."

Revenge travel? New one on me. 
 

Google time…

Eels love filthy water, my guess is there's lots of them there.

Men swimming naked?  Eels might be attracted by Mr Johnson. 

 

 

I was a coach driver back in the 80's, I persuaded a Venice water bus driver to let me drive his water bus down the Grand Canal, near the Rialto bridge.

On 5/28/2022 at 9:16 AM, micmichd said:

Last time I was there was 1970, and even then the canals were filthy like hell. 

Is it possible to have canals in hell ?  surely all the water would immediately evpourate from the heat