Venice is to be protected from cruise ships by banning large vessels from entering the Venice lagoon.
The ban will be introduced immediately, with gradual increments until November next year at which time the largest vessels – more than 96,000 gross tonnes – will be diverted from the city’s historic centre.
Residents were becoming increasingly frustrated and worried about the damage being caused by the rising number of large ships edging to the city’s famed Saint Mark’s Square.
The environment in Venice is fragile and it was already trying to cope with being one of the world’s most popular tourist spots.
"We've had enough of these mega cruise ships just metres away from San Marco, from now on there will be clear limits on the size of ships that can enter Venice," said the mayor of Venice.
Concern about the risk posed by large vessels was increased when the Costa Concordia sank of Giglio on the Italian coast in 2012. Thirty-two people died in the tragedy.
A German tourist in Venice lost his life earlier this year when a gondola and another water vessel collided.
