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Canal Grande in Venice (photo from 2020)
Photo: Annette Reuther/ dpa
The incident apparently caused a lot of trouble for Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro: Two men were illegally on motorized surfboards on the main Canal Grande, driving at high speed between boats on the already busy canal.
Brugnaro then shared a video of the surfers on Twitter: "Look, two cocky idiots making fun of the city".
He is asking for help finding the men to "punish them," the mayor wrote.
As a reward, he offered a dinner - and at the same time called for more far-reaching powers for mayors to protect public safety.
Brugnaro is apparently demanding more rights to contain tourists who are going too far in Venice.
In Venice, there are already some bans that are especially dedicated to visitors to the city.
With #EnjoyRespectVenezia (»enjoy and respect Venice«), the city has long been asking tourists in the Unesco World Heritage Site to behave more responsibly.
Anyone who eats or drinks on the floor or sits on monuments faces a fine of 100 to 200 euros.
Swimming or jumping in the canals is also prohibited and can be fined 350 euros.
Surfing is also prohibited there.
On Wednesday afternoon, Brugnaro also reported on Twitter about the success of his search: “We found them!
(...) They will be reported as they deserve! « According to the 60-year-old, the surfboards were confiscated.
The mayor did not say what penalties the two men could face.
Venice has been badly affected by overtourism for years.
As a countermeasure, the city wants to charge day tourists entry fees from next year.
According to an announcement by the city, from January 16, 2023, all visitors to Venice's old town and smaller surrounding islands will have to register in advance via a web portal - unless they are staying overnight.
fek/AFP