Call for Venice to be put on UN’s endangered cities list after a towering cruise ship collided with a dock

(quote)

Call for Venice to be put on the United Nations’ list of endangered cities – and cruise ships banned from its lagoon
Venice should be put on the United Nations’ list of endangered cities and cruise ships should be banned from its fragile lagoon to prevent an ecological disaster, Italy’s main conservation group has said.

The call came less than a month after a towering cruise ship collided with a dock and a tourist boat in Venice, injuring four people and rekindling a heated debate in Italy about how to protect the historic city, which draws some 30 million tourists a year.

‘Venice is unique and we cannot allow it to be destroyed even more than it has been already,’ said Mariarita Signorini, national president of Italia Nostra (Our Italy), whose stated mission is to defend Italy’s cultural and natural heritage.

(unquote)

Photo courtesy Shutterstock / auphoto