April 25th has long been a historic day in Venice – the date is not only Italy’s Liberation Day, but also the feast day of the city’s patron saint, Saint Mark.
However, Venice will remember April 25th for another reason, as a 5 euro ticket will have to be paid by those who make a one-day trip to Venice from today.
The ticket is a world first and according to the mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, it aims to protect the city, which has been declared a world heritage monument, from hyper-tourism.
The council is running a pilot project until mid-July to see if it can make the system work.
Excluded from the ticket are those who live and work in the city, overnight tourists, as well as students and children under 14 years of age. Random checks will be carried out at five main arrival points and those found without a ticket risk a €50-300 fine.
The imposition of tolls, of course, has caused local reactions with several committees and residents’ associations calling for protest marches for today.
