Venice bans kebab shops to ‘preserve
decorum and traditions' of city
Authorities say new measures will
stop proliferation of fast-food restaurants that are ‘not compatible’ with
city’s heritage
“Venice is the latest Italian city to limit the sale of fast
food in a country that prides itself on its national cuisine. Last year Verona
stopped the opening of new kebab shops, while Florence has attempted to clamp
down on “foreign food” by ruling that all new restaurants and food shops in the
city’s historic centre must ensure at least 70% of their produce is local.”
Angela Giuffrida in Rome
Friday 5 May 2017 15.58 BST
In an effort to “preserve decorum and traditions” in the
romantic canal city of Venice, local authorities have banned new kebab shops
and other fast-food outlets from opening.
A law passed on Thursday will also limit shops selling pizza
by the slice. Only shops selling artisanal ice cream will be spared from the
measure, long championed by the mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro.
Paola Mar, the city’s tourism chief, said: “We want to put
the brakes on types of activities which are not compatible with the preservation
and development of Venice’s cultural heritage.”
Mar said the city was not opposed to kebabs or other types
of fast food, and stressed she did not have a problem with people eating
outside, although the consumption of takeaway food in St Mark’s Square is
prohibited.
“The problem is that with a tourist city like ours, there is
a risk of it losing its identity. There are local products that we must try to
promote, this would be better for the spirit of the city and, at an
environmental level, would be more sustainable.”
Mar said there were plans to develop picnic areas to deter
visitors from eating takeaway food in tourist hotspots.
Venice is the latest Italian city to limit the sale of fast
food in a country that prides itself on its national cuisine. Last year Verona
stopped the opening of new kebab shops, while Florence has attempted to clamp
down on “foreign food” by ruling that all new restaurants and food shops in the
city’s historic centre must ensure at least 70% of their produce is local.
In Venice, which receives millions of visitors each year,
the authorities have long grappled with how to protect the city and its
environment.
The tourist influx has angered local residents, with several
posters appearing across the city last summer with the message: “Tourists go
away!!! You are destroying this area!”
Local authorities have experimented with various measures to
manage the number of tourists and make the city more “liveable”, including
making tourists wait longer at popular vaporetto [water taxi] stops, on top of
paying €6 more than locals for a ride.
Recent reports also suggested Venice was mulling charging
visitors a fee to enter St Mark’s Square. Mar said this might be something the
city adopts on a trial basis, but no firm plan has been drawn up.
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