Venice Fines Tourists Who Surfed The Grand Canal

Seemingly astride eFoils (electric surfboards lifted out of the water in flying dolphins), they were caught on camera motoring up and down the waterway. The Grand Canal is not only the UNESCO World Heritage center of historic buildings, but it is also the main artery of Venice. In footage captured by several locals, they were caught dodging a vaporetto (water bus) and a taxi under the Rialto Bridge, as well as zipping past the Salute Basilica, one of the city’s iconic landmarks. As they passed under the Accademia Bridge, one of the surfers fell off his board but made sure to keep what appeared to be his phone out of the water, filming his partner. Mayor Luigi Brugnaro tweeted a video of the surfers, calling them “two authoritarian idiots making a mockery of the city”. He offered a free dinner to anyone who could identify the couple. Whether someone took him up on his offer or using the Control Room cameras that monitor the city via CCTV, Brugnaro later tweeted that the pair had been identified. “The two surfboards were confiscated and soon… those responsible will be in our hands.” Local newspaper Il Gazzettino later reported that the couple had been arrested. The two boards — worth about 25,000 euros (US$25,440) — were confiscated because they were not insured, he said, while each surfer was fined 1,500 euros for endangering canal navigation. They were also hit with an anti-social behavior order and promptly kicked out of the city. The city also instructed lawyers to initiate proceedings against the couple for defamation of the city’s image. There will be communication with the male consulates as well. Top Image: Screengrab from Twitter post (Luigi Brugnaro)

title: “Venice Fines Tourists Who Surfed The Grand Canal Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-03” author: “Abel Seymour”

Seemingly astride eFoils (electric surfboards lifted out of the water in flying dolphins), they were caught on camera motoring up and down the waterway. The Grand Canal is not only the UNESCO World Heritage center of historic buildings, but it is also the main artery of Venice. In footage captured by several locals, they were caught dodging a vaporetto (water bus) and a taxi under the Rialto Bridge, as well as zipping past the Salute Basilica, one of the city’s iconic landmarks. As they passed under the Accademia Bridge, one of the surfers fell off his board but made sure to keep what appeared to be his phone out of the water, filming his partner. Mayor Luigi Brugnaro tweeted a video of the surfers, calling them “two authoritarian idiots making a mockery of the city”. He offered a free dinner to anyone who could identify the couple. Whether someone took him up on his offer or using the Control Room cameras that monitor the city via CCTV, Brugnaro later tweeted that the pair had been identified. “The two surfboards were confiscated and soon… those responsible will be in our hands.” Local newspaper Il Gazzettino later reported that the couple had been arrested. The two boards — worth about 25,000 euros (US$25,440) — were confiscated because they were not insured, he said, while each surfer was fined 1,500 euros for endangering canal navigation. They were also hit with an anti-social behavior order and promptly kicked out of the city. The city also instructed lawyers to initiate proceedings against the couple for defamation of the city’s image. There will be communication with the male consulates as well. Top Image: Screengrab from Twitter post (Luigi Brugnaro)

title: “Venice Fines Tourists Who Surfed The Grand Canal Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-07” author: “Paul Capello”

Seemingly astride eFoils (electric surfboards lifted out of the water in flying dolphins), they were caught on camera motoring up and down the waterway. The Grand Canal is not only the UNESCO World Heritage center of historic buildings, but it is also the main artery of Venice. In footage captured by several locals, they were caught dodging a vaporetto (water bus) and a taxi under the Rialto Bridge, as well as zipping past the Salute Basilica, one of the city’s iconic landmarks. As they passed under the Accademia Bridge, one of the surfers fell off his board but made sure to keep what appeared to be his phone out of the water, filming his partner. Mayor Luigi Brugnaro tweeted a video of the surfers, calling them “two authoritarian idiots making a mockery of the city”. He offered a free dinner to anyone who could identify the couple. Whether someone took him up on his offer or using the Control Room cameras that monitor the city via CCTV, Brugnaro later tweeted that the pair had been identified. “The two surfboards were confiscated and soon… those responsible will be in our hands.” Local newspaper Il Gazzettino later reported that the couple had been arrested. The two boards — worth about 25,000 euros (US$25,440) — were confiscated because they were not insured, he said, while each surfer was fined 1,500 euros for endangering canal navigation. They were also hit with an anti-social behavior order and promptly kicked out of the city. The city also instructed lawyers to initiate proceedings against the couple for defamation of the city’s image. There will be communication with the male consulates as well. Top Image: Screengrab from Twitter post (Luigi Brugnaro)

title: “Venice Fines Tourists Who Surfed The Grand Canal Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-11” author: “Eugene Vawter”

Seemingly astride eFoils (electric surfboards lifted out of the water in flying dolphins), they were caught on camera motoring up and down the waterway. The Grand Canal is not only the UNESCO World Heritage center of historic buildings, but it is also the main artery of Venice. In footage captured by several locals, they were caught dodging a vaporetto (water bus) and a taxi under the Rialto Bridge, as well as zipping past the Salute Basilica, one of the city’s iconic landmarks. As they passed under the Accademia Bridge, one of the surfers fell off his board but made sure to keep what appeared to be his phone out of the water, filming his partner. Mayor Luigi Brugnaro tweeted a video of the surfers, calling them “two authoritarian idiots making a mockery of the city”. He offered a free dinner to anyone who could identify the couple. Whether someone took him up on his offer or using the Control Room cameras that monitor the city via CCTV, Brugnaro later tweeted that the pair had been identified. “The two surfboards were confiscated and soon… those responsible will be in our hands.” Local newspaper Il Gazzettino later reported that the couple had been arrested. The two boards — worth about 25,000 euros (US$25,440) — were confiscated because they were not insured, he said, while each surfer was fined 1,500 euros for endangering canal navigation. They were also hit with an anti-social behavior order and promptly kicked out of the city. The city also instructed lawyers to initiate proceedings against the couple for defamation of the city’s image. There will be communication with the male consulates as well. Top Image: Screengrab from Twitter post (Luigi Brugnaro)

title: “Venice Fines Tourists Who Surfed The Grand Canal Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-30” author: “Lisa Middleton”

Seemingly astride eFoils (electric surfboards lifted out of the water in flying dolphins), they were caught on camera motoring up and down the waterway. The Grand Canal is not only the UNESCO World Heritage center of historic buildings, but it is also the main artery of Venice. In footage captured by several locals, they were caught dodging a vaporetto (water bus) and a taxi under the Rialto Bridge, as well as zipping past the Salute Basilica, one of the city’s iconic landmarks. As they passed under the Accademia Bridge, one of the surfers fell off his board but made sure to keep what appeared to be his phone out of the water, filming his partner. Mayor Luigi Brugnaro tweeted a video of the surfers, calling them “two authoritarian idiots making a mockery of the city”. He offered a free dinner to anyone who could identify the couple. Whether someone took him up on his offer or using the Control Room cameras that monitor the city via CCTV, Brugnaro later tweeted that the pair had been identified. “The two surfboards were confiscated and soon… those responsible will be in our hands.” Local newspaper Il Gazzettino later reported that the couple had been arrested. The two boards — worth about 25,000 euros (US$25,440) — were confiscated because they were not insured, he said, while each surfer was fined 1,500 euros for endangering canal navigation. They were also hit with an anti-social behavior order and promptly kicked out of the city. The city also instructed lawyers to initiate proceedings against the couple for defamation of the city’s image. There will be communication with the male consulates as well. Top Image: Screengrab from Twitter post (Luigi Brugnaro)