Venice Cruise Ship Oops

There is a strong movement to ban cruise ships from the lagoon. The ships themselves cause considerable harm to the city through displacement of water and emissions that attack the stonework of the city. They disgorge tens of thousands of tourists at a time, most of whom only want a selfie in front of St Mark's and don't spend a penny in town (except euphemistically, thereby further adding stress to the city's infrastructure). Word is that within a few years, ships will be diverted via another channel, but there's a move also to call a halt to 'selfie' tourism and to promote a more aware and cultured tourism (in which I am involved). Of course, others are cashing in and don't want to change anything... (90% of restaurants within a radius of 500m – I think – of St Mark's and not owned by Italians, let alone Venetians).
 
There is a strong movement to ban cruise ships from the lagoon. The ships themselves cause considerable harm to the city through displacement of water and emissions that attack the stonework of the city.
Also most of the buildings are supported on very light timber piles which have not rotted over the centuries because the piles are founded in the dense lagoon silt preventing oxygen from reaching the timber. Any erosion caused by that water displacement exposes the timber to oxygen and therefore to micro organisms which can attack the timber and eventually endanger the building. I can understand why they built the cruise ship terminal where they did because the view from the decks of the ships as they proceed through the Canale Giudecca must be mesmerising but in doing so they have potentially damaged the city. They need to build a new terminal outside the lagoon for these ever more monstrous ships and limit the size of ships using the existing terminal. In fact they could turn it into a marina;)
 
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