4
May
Pigeons banned from Piazza San Marco in Venice
The historic flocks of pigeons, immortalized in every travel photo of Venice’s St Marks Square, have now been banned. According to the mayor the pigeons are doing damage to the surrounding Monuments through droppings and by pecking for food inside crevices. Repairing the damage costs every Venice citizen an estimated 250 euro per year. Patrols will fine anyone found feeding the pigeons. Seed sellers, an icon in St Marks Square for over 100 years, are now out of business. But Piazza San Marco is not only home to hoards of pigeons, but also to tourists in all manner of dress lying or sitting around the square, and lately lots of trash from take-away eateries. Well dressed patrols will now explain acceptable behavior to offending tourists.In order to return the ambiance of Piazza San Marco to what it was in earlier days, visitors to the square will be asked to refrain from eating in the square (except in the cafes), lying down, camping out, or walking around the city shirtless.
Tags: Piazza San Marco, travel Venice
