by In Trieste
Italy must act fast to avoid Venice being placed on the UNESCO endangered list due to the presence of giant cruise ships, Italian culture minister Dario Franceschini has said.
The minster’s intervention came after UNESCO said it would consider placing Venice on its endangered list during the organisation’s plenary session in mid-July, unless Italy issues a permanent ban on cruise ships docking in the canal city, reports Italian news agency ANSA.
Franceschini wrote on Twitter: “After today’s UNESCO decision, the risk of seeing Venice registered in July in the List of World Heritage in Danger compels us to take a further step, immediately prohibiting the passage of large ships in the Giudecca Canal.”
The UN heritage organisation says “a long-term solution is needed urgently” to prevent cruise ships from accessing the lagoon by “redirecting them to more suitable ports in the area.”
