I just spent a week in Venice and small crowds and armed police presence made it feel like an entirely different city
I spent a week reporting from the Venice Film Festival, and the city was surprisingly calm and pleasant.
- During a recent trip to Venice, Italy, I was surprised by how quiet its iconic tourist sites were.
- Many historically popular locations including St Mark's Square were calm and pleasant to visit.
- The improved tourist experience seemed to be thanks to city officials who were present throughout Venice.
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Now, the big question: did I enjoy the visit?
Yes, I did. There really is no credible challenge to Venice's claim to being Europe's most beautiful city. For me, however, it has traditionally also been one of the most deeply uncomfortable places to visit on the continent, largely down to the widely reported issues of overcrowding.
Earlier this year, it was reported that officials in the "floating city" are readying two strategies to curb overcrowding. First, the introduction of a tourist "reservation" system where visitors to the city pay an entrance fee in an attempt to curb overcrowding. And secondly, the deployment of armed guards to patrol key tourist hubs to keep crowds under control, which I have briefly outlined above.
To me, both of these suggestions are undesirable. The increased presence of armed officers has obvious and deeply concerning carceral implications, and any entrance fee to the city would effectively act as a tax on visiting one of Europe's most culturally enriching locations. But what became clear to me during my trip is that whatever magic Venice has to offer can only be absorbed when one isn't trapped in a scrum of camera-wielding tourists.
More police and entrance fee: bad.
Less crowding: good.
What's the middle ground here? I'm not sure but I hope the city of Venice can figure it out.