Venice mayor hunts for ‘idiots’ filmed foil surfing along Grand Canal
The mayor of Venice
has said he is on the hunt for the “two overbearing idiots” who were
filmed gliding along the Grand Canal on motorised foil surfboards.
The
young men were spotted dodging gondolas and waterbuses as they
navigated Venice’s main thoroughfare on Thursday morning. The scene was
recorded by several astonished onlookers.
One of the videos that was widely shared online was posted by Luigi Brugnaro, the mayor of Venice, on Twitter.
“Here are the two overbearing idiots who make a
mockery of this city,” Brugnaro wrote. “I ask everyone to help us
identify and punish them, even if our weapons are really blunt – mayors
urgently need more powers in terms of public safety.”
Brugnaro said he would “offer dinner” to anyone who could help locate the duo.
A clip of the transgression was also shared on the
Instagram account of Venezia Non è Disneyland (Venice Isn’t
Disneyland), a group set up by young Venetians with the aim of
sensitising visitors to the city.
The video,
which included the Beach Boys hit Surfin’ USA playing in the background,
drew widespread indignation. “Shameful,” wrote one Instagram user.
“They need to be expelled from Venice for life, mamma mia.”
Others,
however, found their transportation method pretty cool. “I want one
too!” wrote one commenter, while another said: “Wouldn’t it be great if
we could all travel around Venice this way without giving money to ACTV
[the public transport authority].”
Venice
authorities have been trying to crack down on bad behaviour for years,
with so-called “angels of decorum” patrolling the streets during summer
and fines in place for people caught diving into or bathing in the
canals, walking around bare-chested, feeding pigeons or dropping litter.
Venezia
Non è Disneyland keeps a close eye on the various infractions. In late
July the group shared a video of a man jumping into the Grand Canal from
a bridge, narrowly missing a passing boat.
Last week Brugnaro called for “10 days in jail” for a 33-year-old Scottish tourist who was caught taking a dip in a canalway.
In
2020 a French tourist was fined €150 after paddling along the Grand
Canal on his standup paddleboard, and two German women had to pay €250
each for sunbathing in bikinis by San Stae church.
