There is a digital screen in the window of a historic pharmacy in Saint Bartholomew Square. It is located near the famous "Rialto" bridge of Venice. It shows the city's declining population, seen as a direct result of its long-standing problem with overcrowding. On a sunny day the number shows the number 50 thousand 582.
It's been a month since local authorities announced their controversial plans to install electronic gates at the city's main entry points to regulate tourist traffic in the popular city. Before the pandemic, Venice had around 30 million visitors a year - this equates to over 590 visitors per inhabitant. These numbers play a major role in the erosion of the city's economic and social fabric - as well as its rapid depopulation.
The hordes of tourists took a toll on the city's overburdened infrastructure. Vacation rentals increase the cost of residential accommodation. Independent businesses that serve locals try to stay open. As a result, 2.6 people leave the city every day to move further afield and never return. This downward trend shows no sign of stopping.
"We are losing nearly a thousand people a year," said Giacomo Sebastiano Pistolato, 38, who was born and lived all his life in the historic center of Venice. "Meanwhile, the city is being sold to the highest bidder," added Giacomo.
The city's combined system of entrance fees, allowing online bookings and installing turnstiles to control tourist access to the island were first tested, with much controversy, in 2018. The plan was later canceled due to the pandemic. It is now set to be implemented again in 2022.
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The mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, sees this as "the only solution". But the proposal is widely unpopular and many believe it is destined to fail.
"The gates are another attempt by the city to advertise an impossible management model," explains Giacomo. "This is the last step in turning Venice into an amusement park."
Most residents are convinced that the city administration - whose area includes more populous mainland areas such as Mestre and Marghera - sees Venice's historic center as a "space of endless economic opportunities", Giacomo said.
This translates into a political mentality that puts short-term solutions and publicity stunts before more sustainable measures, which can benefit the citizens and which would simultaneously be a stimulus for the locals. Another solution would involve thinking about sustainable alternatives to the "monoculture" of tourism.
Many feel that the pandemic was an opportunity to test and plan new strategies and to draw up a vision for the future. "We had time and resources to think about a new model of tourism and this has not been done", Monica Sambo, leader of the Democratic Party, told the Italian daily newspaper "La Repubblica". As a result, people on the island feel they are not being listened to by their leaders and the gap between them and the decision makers continues to widen.
However, some initiatives have left a lasting impact on the island city - but not because of any help from local authorities. Until this summer, cruise ships were allowed to dock in St. Mark's Square, one of the most iconic sites.
The Italian government in Rome then - under pressure from UNESCO threatening to put Venice on its list of endangered cultural heritage - took the decision to ban large cruise ships from entering Venice's lagoon.
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Meanwhile, many locals suspect that the city administration only decides to say the word "sustainability" while trying to attract the public.
Folegj: The city's combined system of entrance fees, allowing online bookings and installing turnstiles to control tourist access to the island was first tested, with much controversy, in 2018. The plan was later canceled due to the pandemic . It is now set to be implemented again in 2022
