As of today, the Lido di Venezia, the summer playground of the Lion City’s elite since the 1900s, will be open to all who wish to visit its shores.
In what is being called a “mini-revolution,” Venice’s Mayor Giorgio Orsoni has signed an ordinance that requires that the exclusive, cabana-lined beaches of the Lido be open to the general public.
While regular beach-goers will not have access to the cabanas, which cost up to €9,000 per year to rent, the umbrella or towel service (that comes courtesy of several luxury hotels), or lifeguard service (you know, because some lives are worth more than others to save), they will have the right to bring their own towels, chairs, and umbrellas and set up on the Lido’s white sand shore.
Proponents of the measure are naturally elated at the egalitarian overture this new law suggests. Of course, the elites, or “pass holders” as the ANSA news agency calls them, are unhappy that their yearly expenditures have not afforded them the exclusivity they paid for. Some of the headlines I saw while researching this story lamented that the elegant beaches of Thomas Mann’s “Death in Venice” are now being given over to pop culture.
What do you think about the new ordinance in Venice? Do you think you may try to visit the Lido as a non-pass holder on your next vacation to Venice?
Last updated on December 9th, 2020Post first published on June 28, 2011
