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Activists unveiled a banner in St Mark's Square

Greenpeace joins protests over Bezos's Venice wedding

Greenpeace has added its voice to protests against this week's celebrity wedding in Venice between American tech billionaire Jeff Bezos and journalist Laura Sanchez.

Environment • 5 hrs

One group has threatened peaceful blockades

Venice divided over Amazon founder's wedding

Venice is divided ahead of next week's celebrity wedding of US tech-tycoon Jeff Bezos and Laura Sanchez, with some looking forward to the glitz and glamour, while others fear it will turn the scenic city of gondolas and palazzi into an amusement park.

Business • 20 Jun

The restrictions cover the city centre and also the islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello

Venice to limit size of tourist groups from tomorrow

Venice will limit the size of tourist groups to 25 people from tomorrow in the latest attempt to reduce the impact of crowds on the lagoon city.

World • 31 Jul 24

Any visitor who is not staying the night must pay a €5 entry fee online before walking into the lagoon city from today

Venice begins charging day-trippers to enter city

Venice has begun to charge day-trippers looking to enter the historic Italian city, a world-first intended to ease the pressure of mass tourism.

Europe • 25 Apr 24

Firefighters examine the wreckage of the bus

Anger over road safety after 21 killed in Venice crash

Venice authorities have declared three days of mourning after a bus crash killed 21 people including a toddler, sparking debate over the state of Italy's crumbling infrastructure.

World • 04 Oct 23

Firefighters work on the site of the bus crash in Mestre, near Venice

At least 21 dead after bus crashes off flyover in Italy

At least 21 people have died after a city bus carrying tourists to a campground crashed off an overpass near Venice in northern Italy and caught fire, officials said.

Europe • 04 Oct 23

Venice has been in UNESCO's sights because of risk stemming from mass tourism and rising water levels

UNESCO not declaring Venice heritage 'in danger'

The UN's cultural organisation has said that it had stopped short of placing Venice, one of the world's top tourist destinations, on its world heritage in danger list.

World • 14 Sep 23

The fee will be applied on a trial basis on 30 days next year

Venice to charge day-trippers €5 admission fee

Venice plans to experiment with an admission fee of €5 for day-trippers next year to try to manage the flow of tourists drawn to its historic canals, the city council said.

Europe • 05 Sep 23

Boats are pictured in a canal during a severe low tide in Venice

Venice canals run dry as Italy faces drought alert

Weeks of dry winter weather have raised concerns that Italy could face another drought after last summer's emergency, with the Alps having received less than half of their normal snowfall, according to scientists and environmental groups.

World • 21 Feb 23

Glass barriers installed around the 900-year-old church help to keep it dry

Glass barriers protect Venice basilica from high tides

It's a simple solution, but one that may keep the marble columns and valuable mosaics of Venice's famous St Mark's Basilica safe from seawater-induced erosion.

News Lens • 22 Dec 22

Murano's glass manufacturing involves some 60 firms employing around 1,000 people

Soaring gas prices threaten Venice glassblowers

Glassblowers in the tiny island of Murano, in the Venice lagoon, have long been famed for the colours and sophistication of their art, but a global surge in gas prices is making it hard to keep furnaces open, threatening their survival.

World • 17 Nov 21

The cruise ship 'Queen Victoria' passes close to St Mark's Square in Venice in September 2013

Italy plans to keep cruise ships out of Venice lagoon

Italy's government has ruled that large cruise ships and container vessels must not pass close to Venice's historic centre and should instead dock in a different location to preserve the famed lagoon.

Europe • 01 Apr 21

The Mose system is designed to protect Venice from tides of up to three metres

Venice tests flood barrier months after city swamped

Venice tested its long-delayed flood barriers in a public demonstration of the strength of the defences months after rising tidal waters swamped its historic canals, squares and palaces.

Europe • 10 Jul 20

A pedestrian crosses St Mark's Square on Thursday night

Venice hit by unseasonable flooding

A quarter of Venice has been submerged by a near-record high tide for June, a time of year when such flooding is rare.

Europe • 05 Jun 20

Flood water in St Mark's Square in Venice last month

Divers help clean Venice following floods

A group of scuba divers came together to clean up the canals in Venice yesterday after record high waters hit the lagoon city in recent weeks.

News Lens • 02 Dec 19

As authorities assessed the extent of the damage to Venice's cultural treasures, locals were defiant

Italy declares state of emergency due to Venice floods

Italy has declared a state of emergency in Venice after an exceptional tide surged through the historic city, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said.

World • 14 Nov 19

A man wears plastic bags on his feet to keep the water out as he walks past a ferry stranded on the docks

Venice mayor blames climate change for high tides

Venice's mayor has declared a state of emergency after "apocalyptic" floods swept through the lagoon city, flooding its historic basilica and inundating squares and centuries-old buildings.

Europe • 13 Nov 19

City officials said the tide peaked at 1.87m

Near-record high tides flood much of Venice

Venice has been hit by the second highest tide recorded in the lagoon city, which flooded its historic basilica and left many of its squares and alleyways deep underwater.

World • 12 Nov 19

The tourists made a coffee on the steps of the Rialto Bridge

Venice coffee costs rule-breaking German tourists €950

Two German tourists were fined for making themselves a coffee on the steps of the famous Rialto bridge in Venice and asked to leave the city, the municipal authorities said.

Europe • 19 Jul 19

The cruise ship MSC Opera (R) is seen after the collision with a tourist boat in Venice, Italy

Cruise ship slams into Venice wharf as tourists flee

A massive cruise ship lost control as it docked in Venice this morning, crashing into the wharf and hitting a tourist boat after suffering an engine failure.

Europe • 02 Jun 19

Images: Simone Sciascia/ S.b.l. WORK ACADEMY DI Venezia

Venice pizzeria opens despite ankle-deep flooding

With three quarters of Venice left under water after the worst flooding the city has seen in over ten years, businesses are nevertheless continuing to operate.

News Lens • 31 Oct 18

People carry a buggy over the flood waters in Venice

Three-quarters of Venice flooded after high tide

Rain-soaked tourists were barred from St Mark's Square in Venice where local authorities said the "acqua alta" (high water) peaked at 156cm, leaving almost three-quarters of the Italian city under water.

Europe • 30 Oct 18

The seven tourists paid over €100 for four coffees and three liqueurs

Italian tourists find €100 coffees hard to swallow

Seven tourists from Rome learned an expensive lesson when visiting a cafe in Venice - always make sure you read the fine print.

Special Reports • 20 Aug 13

People walk in a flooded street during a 'acqua alta' in Venice

Heavy rain causes major flooding in Italy

Nearly three quarters of Venice was flooded and tourists swam in St Mark's Square as a wave of bad weather swept through northern and central Italy.

News • 13 Nov 12

Venice