Venice live blog: Iconic Italian city to segregate tourists and locals this weekend

Barriers installed in Venice, Italy ahead of day of segregation of tourists and residents

Welcome to Venice on what authorities have predicted will be the busiest day of the year for tourists. Possibly one of its most controversial days, too – because they’re planning to segregate locals and tourists in order to divert footfall where possible.

The “urgent measures” have been decreed by mayor Luigi Brugnaro in the wake of a packed Easter weekend which drew local ire when vaporetti (waterbuses) were close to unusable and the main streets were unbearably full.

The measures work on the basis that the vast majority of visitors want to visit just two places in Venice: Piazza San Marco and the Rialto Bridge. Checkpoints will be set up at the two main entrances to the city: Piazzale Roma (the bus terminal) and the Santa Lucia train station. Only locals and those carrying a Carta Venezia (for frequent visitors) will be allowed along the main thoroughfares; everyone else will be diverted along less direct routes.

So is this the day Venice officially turns into a theme park? The Independent’s travel editor, Julia Buckley, is in town – and as a regular visitor in possession of a Carta Venezia, she’s going to experience both sides of the divide.

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Other measures include rerouting boats full of daytrippers that usually stop at Riva degli Schiavoni in San Marco to Fondamente Nuove in Cannaregio, which is further away from the city centre.

Those driving may need a parking reservation or risk being redirected away from the centre, and local police will be keeping an eye on the main car park; once full, they may limit the number of cars they allow over the bridge from the mainland.

“Our goal is to inform those who want to come to the city that in the coming days there could be an extraordinary influx of people, making it difficult to visit,” said the mayor in a statement.

“All tourists know that, if they respect the city, they are welcome. At the same time, however, we have the task of safeguarding Venice, and this is why we have adopted measures based on what is permitted by current regulation.”

He added that this weekend was an opportunity to “experiment with a new tourism management system”.

[28 April 2018 14:48 · julia.buckley]

Venice mayor Luigi Brugnaro has been talking to the local press. Here's what he told Il Gazzettino:

"I don't see anything wrong [in installing the gates]. My duty is to keep Venice safe. We will divert traffic like a piston [ie on and off] when it's necessary." 

When will it be necessary? For starters, when two or three trains arrive in the station at the same time, "each unleashing about 800 people on the city."

Brugnaro emphasises that Venice is open for business and welcomes visitors - "but we are discouraging people - especially daytrippers - from coming in on heavily trafficked days, to make the city more liveable."

People seem to be taking notice because so far, this doesn't seem like a busy day in Venice by my standards. Still, I'm still by the railway station - San Marco and Rialto are some distance away.

[28 April 2018 15:03 · julia.buckley]

I've been watching people's behaviour for a while. I'd say about 60-70 per cent of those who seem obviously tourists (holding maps, dragging suitcases, talking English etc) are ignoring the signs and marching straight through the gates. 

Time to join them. I'm going to Rialto. Keep me in your prayers.

[28 April 2018 15:07 · julia.buckley]

The guy at the café I was just working from - Magnum Venezia (don't judge) reckons that the new controls are a good thing.

[28 April 2018 15:11 · julia.buckley]

Approaching the gates. "Look, entry reserved for residents," says the Italian man in front of me to his wife. "We should be going around the other way."Then he shrugs. "Boh!" - and walks straight through.

[28 April 2018 15:21 · julia.buckley]

I'm walking down the Strada Nuova - one of the main problem areas according to Brugnaro, as it leads from the stations (bus and train) to the Rialto and San Marco.It's fine, so far (photos to come). If the warnings to stay away have worked, is that a good thing? How much tourism is enough to make Venice liveable - but also able to provide a living for Venetians?

[28 April 2018 15:30 · julia.buckley]

In the past half hour I've gone past no fewer than 4 stag and hen parties. All Italian. Pics - and video of Super Mario stag crew - to follow

[28 April 2018 15:45 · julia.buckley]

Getting towards Rialto now and as the streets get narrower there's a marked increase in crowds. Not just walking, either; there are loads of people milling, standing and sitting around. Maybe they started at Rialto and did a quick 5-minute recce northwards.

[28 April 2018 16:14 · julia.buckley]

Being a massive Venice snob, the streets I'm using today are ones I normally don't take - I'm normally lurking on Dorsoduro or Giudecca instead of selfie-sticking around Rialto. But when I stayed for six weeks here a couple of years ago, there was one section of street that I always had to take to get to my favourite part of town. I hated it - narrow, crowded, touristy - and would hit the ratruns around it as far as possible. But there was one stretch I couldn't avoid.

Here it is today.

It's 24 degrees in the shade, by the way 

[28 April 2018 16:17 · julia.buckley]

Here's where it started getting choked, at the end of the Strada Nuova

[28 April 2018 16:26 · julia.buckley]

We're getting very close to Rialto now so let's have some light relief. Here's one of the two hen parties walking the Strada Nuova today - these lovely ladies were such charmers that I forgot to ask where (in Italy) they'd come in from.

Possibly a tiny bit NSFW