Tourists Banned From Venice After Swimming In The Canal

Venice is a very popular tourist destination. With its rich history, stunning architecture, and infamous canals, it is easy to understand why people are drawn to it. However, one thing that is not so easy to understand is how foolish tourists can be. Recently, two tourists were banned from Venice after they were caught swimming in the canal.

The Details: While the canals in Venice are stunning, there is one main rule surrounding them: swimming is strictly prohibited. Even people who have not traveled to the city are aware of this rule. However, two tourists seemed to have missed the memo, as they were caught taking a dip in one of the canals.

• A 35-year-old British man and his 25-year-old Romanian girlfriend had to cut their romantic Italian getaway short after they were spotted swimming in one of the city’s canals.
• A gondolier spotted them swimming and reported them to authorities.
• They were spotted near the Accademia bridge before making their way over to the Rio San Vidal kiosk. It was near this kiosk that the brazen pair opted to take a dip.

Tourists Banned From Venice

Nothing ruins your vacation like being banned from the country you are visiting. Fortunately for these rule-breaking tourists, they were only banned from Venice for 48 hours. While it may not have affected them for life, it definitely affected the remainder of their vacation. Additionally, People Magazine shares that they were also handed a €450, or about $529, fine each.

Why You Shouldn’t Swim There: Although it is illegal, and breaking the law is bad, there are several other reasons you should not swim in the many canals in Venice. VeneziaLines shares the most prominent reasons on their blog.

• It is dangerous: with gondolas and motorboats frequently travelling the canals, you could easily be injured.
• It is unsanitary: Venice lacks sewage pipes and conduits, which means that most wastewater ends up in the canals. So, if you take a dip, you are willing to swim in human waste.
• Harmful chemicals: In addition to human waste, there is also chemical waste. The blog shares that “the waste from the chemical plants in the Porto Marghera industrial area and the pollution from boat traffic” are both present in the water.

So while the canals may look beautiful and may seem like a tempting way to beat the heat on a hot day, you must resist the urge to jump in.