Tourists kicked out of Venice for illegally diving into canal

• Two vacationers had been fined and ordered to depart Venice after illegally swimming within the metropolis’s canals.
• Swimming within the canals is prohibited for causes of security, public hygiene and to protect town’s panorama.

A vacationer couple was kicked out of Venice after making an attempt to illegally swim within the metropolis’s well-known canals final week, based on city officials.

The vacationers, a 35-year-old British citizen and 25-year-old Romanian citizen, had been “caught diving into the waters of the Grand Canal and the Rio di San Vidal” close to the British Consulate, town stated in a information announcement.

Shortly after the vacationers jumped into the canal, gondoliers on the close by San Vidal station notified the native police, who arrived on the scene together with a service boat to take away them.

Bathing within the canals is prohibited “to preserve urban cleanliness and landscape, and also for reasons of safety and public hygiene,” based on city regulations. Offenders are additionally banned from the world the place they broke the legislation.

Residing in Britain, the couple was fined a complete of €450 every (about $529) and ordered to depart the historic heart for 48 hours. Their Venetian trip ended instantly, the announcement continued.

The Venice City Police didn’t instantly reply to USA TODAY’s request for remark.

“I thank the gondoliers for their cooperation and the timely reporting, which allowed our local police to intervene immediately,” stated Venice’s Security Councilor Elisabetta Pesce in a press release. “The city administration is committed to firmly combating disrespectful and uncivilized behavior, because protecting Venice means defending the dignity of a unique city and ensuring the dignity of both residents and visitors.”

This is not the primary time a traveler has tried to swim in Venice’s canals. In 2023, police looked for a person after a video on social media confirmed him leaping off a constructing’s rooftop into the water.

Since the beginning of 2025, the lagoon metropolis stated it has issued over a thousand eviction orders to guests violating town’s rules. Venice City Police Deputy Commander Gianni Franzoi advised CNN that unruly guests are a results of town’s battle with overtourism, with a rise in incidents.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Floating City has been in a years-long battle towards overtourism, together with turning into the primary metropolis to introduce a day tripper payment and limiting vacationer teams in 2024. Earlier this yr, residents fought towards non-public builders in order that the island of Poveglia would proceed to be open to all guests.