VENICE, Italy—Watching thousands of tourists
stroll through Venice’s Saint Mark’s Square, steward Giovanna is
ready to step in at the first sign of unacceptable behavior —
picnics, bare torsos or discarded food wrappers.
Speaking languages ranging from Chinese to
Polish, Giovanna and six other women have been deployed by the
lagoon city to improve decorum and cleanliness in the square
Napoleon called "the drawing room of Europe".
Since June, they have patrolled areas which
are split into Saint Mark’s Basilica and Clock tower, the Grand
Canal and the Doge’s Palace, telling tourists they cannot lay
out food or walk around bare-chested.
Signs warning of fines have been plastered on
bins as well as canal water bus stops, and the stewards —
dressed in special T-shirts — give out leaflets telling tourists
where they can have their picnics.
If situations get tricky, the women who work
for a municipal agency and who have been nicknamed "guardians of
the square" — call for back-up from police who can hand out
fines ranging from 25 euros ($34) to 500 euros.
In early August, more than 100 tourists were
given 25 euro fines, according to news agency ANSA.
"The other day there was a lady sitting with
a saucepan but she had no gas bottle," said Giovanna, who
declined to give her surname. "As I approached she leapt up
saying ‘don’t worry, I’m not going to start cooking’."
"People usually say they didn’t know. We
advise them that there is a picnic area where they can go, we do
not want them to get angry — usually the reaction is positive
but there are times when we’ve had to make calls (for back-up)."
Thousands wander across Saint Mark’s Square
every day, large groups form around flag-waving tour guides and
parents take pictures of children with pigeons alighting on
their arms.
Those who can afford it sip coffee in style
while listening to live music at the Caffe Florian, which dates
from 1720 and was frequented by, among others, Goethe and Marcel
Proust.
But in a city where a simple breakfast of
coffee and a croissant can cost over 5 euros ($6.78) — more than
double the rate in Milan — many day-trippers bring their own
food or opt for take-away refreshments.
Venice, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, had
nearly 20 million tourists last year and the city council wants
the visitors to be respectable.
"There were people who wanted to go around
Venice bare-chested and this is unacceptable, there were people
who mistook the Grand Canal for a beach," the council’s Augusto
Salvadori, in charge of tourism and the city’s image, said.
"Venice is a city of art and a city that
belongs to the world, guests are welcome — but Venice has to be
respected."
Mario Martini, who sells grain to feed
pigeons, which pose their own problem in Saint Mark’s Square,
thinks the stewards are good for the city’s image.
"It’s a good idea, maybe there should be more
stewards," he said.
—Reuters
