Italy to limit large cruise ship traffic in Venice

[ROME] Italy will immediately begin to limit large cruise ship traffic in the Venice lagoon and the biggest vessels - of more than 96,000 gross tonnes - will be banned from November of next year, the government said on Tuesday.

Protests by Venice residents and environmentalists concerned about the damage caused by increasing cruise ship traffic to the fragile city, one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, have been on the rise in recent years.

Prime Minister Enrico Letta met the transport and culture ministers as well as the governor of the Veneto region and the mayor of Venice, and approved plans to limit or shut down cruise ship traffic in parts of the Venice lagoon and near the city's famous Saint Mark's Square.