Girlspytravel

Starting this coming Wednesday, no more grain sellers in the Piazza, and no more feeding the pigeons in San Marco or you'll be looking at a hefty 50 Euro fine.

Venice to Fine Tourists Who Feed Pigeons

news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080430/lf_nm_life/venice_pigeons_dc

I've know that the City of Venice was planning to do this for some time, because I've been following the news articles in the Venetian paper-Mayor Cacciari pitched a fit out on the Piazza while I was there in September 2006, he was on a walk-through, and went off about the pigeons to his tourism councilman, shouting about all the pigeon caca that was ruining Venice's patrimony, which it most assuredly is -pigeon excrement is eating away at this UNESCO heritage site.

Now the City of Florence has had a ban on feeding pigeons in effect for a couple of years now, but of course pigeons are not indelibly associated with the piazze of Florence, as they are a part of every image of Piazza San Marco, nor does Florence have the grain sellers out there on the Piazza selling grain to tourists to feed the pigeons for something like a 100 years either.

The Mayor calls pigeons "topi volante" (flying rats). I quite agree-I couldn't be happier to hear about the ban on selling grain. I'll be there for Venice's biggest festival on July 19-Redentore, and I do hope to see far less pigeons in San Marco-but it will be interesting to see how the tourists react to this ban- we already know how bitterly the grain sellers are taking it.

PalenQ

thanks for the tip and yes a good move IMO

Girlspytravel

PalQ, I think, (I say I think, because I'm not sure), that it is the parents with the kids who most like to get shots of the kiddies with pigeons covering their arms and head-myself, I find this hideous, but there are people and kids who like this!

I don't even go in Piazza San Marco except to cross it to go somewhere else, THAT is how much I despise those pigeons-the idea of a pigeonless Piazza is like heaven to me!

PalenQ

I'll suggest that Venice officials buy some of those plastic birds African trinket sellers sell all over europe and make them look like pigeons for photo opps

Girlspytravel

Good idea! Perhaps something like selling fake plastic pigeons will make the grain sellers happy, now that they are no longer have a job selling grain. They've got signs up saying "thanks Mayor, for taking away our livelihood after 100 years." I smell lawsuits coming!

It's like this: Whereas other cities can enact reasonable ordinances for this and that, and there is very little to-do about it, least of all press coverage, Venice can't do ANYTHING without it being a big event, without it making the news around the world, sending out shock waves, and disturbing the delicate rhythm of life there-to be Mayor of arguably the most unique city in the world has to be one of the most thankless of positions-and Venetians complain a lot about things anyway.

PalenQ

ttt

chepar

Flying rats - I think that's a good description.

I've always shuddered at the sight of the tourists that encourage the pigeons to sit on their heads and shoulders - it really skeeves me out.

kerouac

The fine for feeding birds in Paris has long been about 300€. Don't tell the little old ladies.

Dukey

I suspect at least one of them already knows.

missypie

Aww...that was my 10 year old's favorite thing about our entire trip to Italy.

JeanMS

My children loved feeding the pigeons. It was their favorite part of our trip to Venice. My son also wanted to go tubing behind a water taxi which isn't allowed either.