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The Venetian skyscraper that may make the Italian city even worse
DestinationsFortunately, the €1.5 billion investment will probably not be found, but if it is, the City Council of Venice will be giving permission in July for an 820-foot-high skyscraper (130 feet taller than the Tour Montparnasse in Paris) to be built on the mainland behind Venice, about six miles from St. Mark’s Square. The mayor, [...]
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Major travel magazines in the U.S. agree: March is time for Italy
DestinationsIf you’ve been to a magazine rack or received your monthly subscriptions of the United States’ leading consumer travel titles you’ll likely feel a hankering for a touch of la dolce vita. if you can’t pinpoint exactly why, it’s because Afar, Travel + Leisure, and Conde Nast Traveler all have Italy on their March issue covers [...]
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Legendary Venetian spot Harry’s Bar is put under the screws by its bankers
DestinationsArrigo Cipriani, the proprietor of the legendary Harry’s Bar in Venice, has for more than 60 years been meeting the demands of exacting drinkers, from Humphrey Bogart to Orson Welles and Truman Capote. But with turnover down by 20-30% in the past four …
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Venice, Italy battles flooding as storms hit hard across northern Italy
DestinationsThe lagoon city of Venice continues to suffer from high waters which reached five feet above sea level on Sunday after continuous rain pounded many regions of Italy over the weekend. Some 70 percent of the city was reportedly covered by the flood waters and proved a bizarre spectacle for tourists on the massive Concordia [...]
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Venetians direct anger at weather forecasters as tourists swim through record flooding
DestinationsTourists attached plastic bags to their legs or stripped off to take a dip in St Mark’s Square in Venice on Sunday as rising sea waters surged through the lagoon city. High water measuring 1.49 metres (5ft) above the normal level of the Adriatic sea came with bad weather that swept Italy at the weekend, [...]
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Venetians protest cruise industry’s presence by blocking ships’ exit
TransportProtesters who want large cruise ships banned from Venice caused delays Sunday for several vessels departing the city, industry watcher Seatrade Insider is reporting. The news outlet says the 3,000-passenger Costa Fascinosa, 1,712-passenger MSC Opera and 2,536-passenger MSC Musica left Venice several hours later than scheduled after a flotilla of small boats manned by the [...]
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Venetian residents protest massive cruise ships that crowd city ports
TransportAt one moment the scene is everything you expect of Venice; medieval churches, domes and bell towers, and water sparkling in the canal in front of you. But quite suddenly, this picture can be dramatically and controversially transformed. A colossal, gleaming white cruise ship hoves into view. At the height of the season, these giants [...]
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Venice embarks on its month-long design conference with a floating theater
DestinationsEvery two years, Venice becomes a laboratory for architecture and design when it hosts the La Biennale di Venezia. For a month, the city is alive with panels, parties, and exhibitions, animated by thousands of architects and designers. As many attendees are quick to point out, the waterborne city is in a good deal of [...]
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Venice’s lagoon is doomed unless it gets a little “intelligent tourism”
TransportThe environment committee of Italy‘s upper chamber is reviewing a bill to safeguard Venice and its lagoon. It aims to give the city’s council powers over the city and surrounding waters. In the aftermath of theCosta Concordia disaster, Unesco appealed to the Italian government to stop large cruise ships entering the San Marco basin and Giudeccia canal. But though the [...]
