Venice is the capital city of Italy. Venice is characterized by countless canals and water bodies. Built on the water, this beautiful city is definitely on the bucket list of travelers from all over the world. But now the news is not so good from here.
A gondola ride along the waterways is one of the favorite pastimes of visitors to Venice. These are the special type of boats that are the hallmark of Venice. But this time I can’t enjoy this experience. Due to the intense heat, Venice’s waterways have dried up. Lack of rain, high pressure, sea currents and many other factors work adversely to the weather.
Venice is a city that mostly depends on water transport to get from one place to another. Now, with tourism gone, even ambulance boats are said to be unable to reach their destination on time.
Since the winter of 2020-2021, water shortages have been worsening in Venice. Experts say that this problem can be solved only if it rains for at least 50 days.
In recent years, Venice has taken a number of measures to protect its waterways and combat over-tourism, banning large cruise ships in the lagoon basin near St. Mark’s Square and the Giudecca Canal, and declaring the waterways around Venice a “national monument”. These efforts saved Venice from being placed on UNESCO’s World Heritage Danger List.
There was a proposal to levy a special fee on tourists arriving in Venice. But it will not be implemented for the time being and it is not clear when the measure will come into effect. Apart from the water cruises, Venice has many attractions such as the Bridge of Sighs or ‘Bridge of Sighs’, the Venetian Ghetto Museum, Piazza San Marco, the Campanile, the islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello.
While smaller canals have dried up due to drought, wide major waterways such as the Grand Canal still remain navigable. The Grand Canal is a large waterway that runs through the center of Venice, from the railway station to San Marco. Water buses and water taxis are available to travel through it. Venice is not alone in facing such climate-related problems. In the Alps, many ski resorts were closed this January due to lack of snow and unusually warm weather.
English Summary: venices beloved canals are drying up gondola ride tourism in italy