Two Australians are paying dearly for their trip to Venice.

On Wednesday morning, the two young men skilfully circled water taxis and gondolas on the Grand Canal with two electrically operated foil boards and filmed each other.

In turn, they had also been photographed and filmed by dozens of people on boats and from quay walls.

Matthias Rub

Political correspondent for Italy, the Vatican, Albania and Malta based in Rome.

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Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro chided the two on Twitter as "fools and show-offs" and promised a dinner for those who provide clues to finding the illegal electro-surfers.

In fact, it only took a few hours for the two culprits to be identified - whether thanks to tips from the population or by evaluating recordings from the countless surveillance cameras in the lagoon city, the town hall did not say.

The two foilboards with a total value of around 25,000 euros were confiscated because there was no insurance cover for them, the authorities said.

In addition, a fine of EUR 1,500 each was imposed on the two for endangering the safety of shipping and they were banned with immediate effect.