An unexpected attraction that delights tourists, smartphones in hand. A section of the Grand Canal in Venice (Italy) turned fluorescent green on Sunday. The color change was reported by locals, according to the president of the Veneto region, Luca Zaia, on Twitter. "The prefect has convened an urgent meeting with the police to investigate the origin of the liquid," he added.
🟢🟢🟢 Stamattina nel #CanalGrande di #Venezia è apparsa una chiazza di liquido verde fosforescente, segnalata da alcuni residenti all'altezza del Ponte di Rialto.
Il prefetto ha convocato una riunione urgente con le forze di polizia per approfondire l'origine del liquido. pic.twitter.com/te0JVCfodQ
— Luca Zaia (@zaiapresidente) May 28, 2023
Aldo Reato, gondolier and city councillor, also gathers information: "In the city, we talk about a Japanese seaweed," he told Corriere del Veneto. But "in any case, it doesn't seem to pollute anything," he continues. Another gondolier reportedly saw Norwegians, aboard two small boats, throwing pills.
Enhanced surveillance
According to local daily La Nuova Venezia, police are looking into whether climate change activists may be behind the phenomenon. Activists from the last generation environmental movement repeated that they had nothing to do with what happened, according to Corriere del Veneto.
Last year in Florence, two activists of this Italian collective had glued their hands on the glass protecting the famous painting "Spring" by Botticelli. The "coloration" has not yet been claimed and no situation of danger to the health of the population has appeared.
😱😱😱😱😳😡ACQUA FOSFORESCENTE A VENEZIA (Cast iron: Gazzettino)
🟥 Segui Giubbe Rosse
Telegram | Web portal | Ultim'ora | Twitter | Instagram pic.twitter.com/Q2NbB747em
— Greta Rossini (@osamundR) May 28, 2023
Firefighters said they were helping the regional environmental protection agency take samples for analysis. The prefect of Venice ordered an intensification of surveillance in the lagoon to monitor any critical problems and prevent similar episodes in the future. A new meeting is scheduled for Monday, according to Corriere del Veneto.
A reference to a 1968 performance?
This is not the first time the Grand Canal has turned green. In 1968, the Argentine artist Nicolas Garcia Uriburu dyed his waters green with a fluorescent dye during the 34th Venice Biennale, as part of an ecological awareness campaign.
