Paradise Lost and climate sustainability
In John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost, the angel Michael shows Adam a vision of the Great Flood that God will send to punish the wickedness of his creation: man. Will Venice, Rotterdam, Boston, south-west Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan and Burma be the victims of this prediction as global sea levels have risen over the last … Continue reading
Tourist tax for Venice?
The Vice-Mayor of Venice, Sandro Simionato, this week advocated the rapid introduction of a tax on tourists to Venice. The tourist tax, which is likely to be known as the ‘Venice ticket’, would initially be added to hotel bills. “The ticket will arrive as soon as possible and will bring the city €24 million a … Continue reading
Yacht docking proposal under scrutiny
A request from the company ‘Venice Yacht Pier Srl’ to construct new docking facilities along the Riva dei Sette Martiri are being scrutinised by Venice Port Authority and Venice City Council. The proposal is for a double quay and a dock of 2,430 square meters to be situated at the water’s edge between St Mark’s … Continue reading
Environmentalists challenge train link to Venice airport
Plans for a high-speed train (TAV) link between Venice’s Marco Polo airport and Venice’s neighbouring city Mestre are facing opposition from Green Party members of Venice City Council. The Council will examine the plans on Friday 18 February 2011. Gianfranco Bettin of Venice’s Green Party argues the plans will create unacceptable risks and lack sufficient … Continue reading
Entrepreneurs to help restore St Mark’s Square?
An appeal was launched on 9 February 2011 by Venice City Council requesting €1 million of private funds to assist restoration of Venice’s St Mark’s Square. Pavements and doorways on the Square need urgent restoration. Venice City Council has allocated €300,000 for this work. Alessandro Maggioni, Venice’s Councillor of public works, has called on entrepreneurs … Continue reading
Protest against high speed trains
On Saturday 5 February 2011, protests against the development of high-speed train services (TAV) will take place in the village of San Donà di Piave to the north-east of the Venice lagoon. The Italian environmental league, Legambiente, has organised the protest alongside local agricultural associations. This campaign threatens to limit much-needed high-speed train services for … Continue reading
Referendum campaign against subway
A new Venetian committee was launched on 27 January 2011 with the objective of holding a referendum of Venetians on whether to construct a subway under the Venice lagoon. The committee is made up of diverse political orientations, although members of Venice’s Green Party and the environmental association Italia Nostra are adopting leading roles. The … Continue reading
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