If a solution to prevent large ships from entering is not found quickly, Unesco will classify Venice among the sites in danger.
If large ships continue to sail through the lagoon of Venice, the city – already a World Heritage Site since 1967 – risks being added to the red list of sites in danger. This is what emerges from a technical document drawn up by Unesco, which the Ansa news agency was able to consult.
According to Ansa, Unesco's technical bodies are urgently calling for a "long-term solution" to completely prevent large ships from accessing the Lagoon, preferably "redirecting them to more suitable ports in the area." This proposal will be discussed during the 44th annual assembly at which the UN agency for culture updates the list of World Heritage Sites and sites in danger. The summit is scheduled from 16 to 31 July and will review the proposals from 2021 as well as those from 2020, following the postponement of the previous edition due to the health emergency.
The issue has been on the political agenda for some time. The Clini-Passera decree had already banned large ships from passing through the San Marco canal and the Giudecca canal as far back as 2012, but it remained in limbo for nine long years while alternative solutions were sought. In the meantime, in August 2019, tragedy was narrowly averted when a cruise ship collided with a vessel moored at San Basilio, causing panic. Then, on 25 March 2021, the government decided to divert them to Marghera. However, there is no terminal there capable of accommodating them. While waiting for a call for ideas to find suitable berthing points outside the lagoon, the Draghi government is working to manage the transitional phase. If in the meantime Unesco approves the proposal at the July summit, the Italian state will be required to act by February 2022.
Adding Venice to the list of World Heritage Sites in danger would be "serious damage to our country," the Minister for Cultural Heritage, Activities and Tourism, Dario Franceschini, told Ansa. The list currently contains 53 entries; the only ones in Europe are the historic centre of Vienna, the maritime mercantile city of Liverpool and the medieval monuments in Kosovo. In July, Unesco will also decide whether to include the Great Barrier Reef, in view of the severe damage caused by climate change. A prospect that has provoked anger from the Australian government, which is concerned about the potential repercussions on tourism.
