>> For ten days, our reporter travels through Southern Europe to understand how our European neighbors are living their deconfinement, the reopening of borders, the approach of holidays, but also to take the pulse of the local economy. A trip from Italy to Greece, passing through the Balkans and the Adriatic coast. After Ventimiglia and Milan, for the third stage of his European "deconfinement tour", Jean-Sébastien Soldaïni stopped in Venice, the "Serenissima". For the first time in decades, the city has been emptied of its many tourists, revealing a face that even the residents had forgotten.
A timeless city
The arrival in Venice is done under a dog's weather. An incessant rain will accompany me all day long, as if to further accentuate the strange feeling of being out of time. This is generally the case when walking the cobblestones of the city.
"Out of time", or rather "in another time": Saint-Marc square, the banks of the Grand Canal are deserted. The narrow alleys where it is sometimes impossible to cross paths are even more so. The Venetians are warm at home. The tourists have not yet returned. And the gondolas covered with tarpaulins are securely moored to their posts. "In red Venice, not a moving boat," wrote Alfred de Musset.
Deprived of its tourists (and its pigeons), Saint Mark's Square has never been so deserted. © Jean-Sébastien Soldaïni for Europe 1.
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Venice, more suited to tourists than to its residents
The Venetians have lived in this setting for more than three months now. A city that they reclaim because the tourists leave a huge void. But most of the stores are closed. Ariele, a French woman living there, tells me that with her friends, she realized that Venice was not suitable for its residents but for tourists. All these curtains down, they are only stalls where she never goes.
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In abandoned windows, kitsch meets luxury. Looking at the signs, I almost believe I am on the Champs-Elysées. Fast food chains are installed in prime locations. Souvenir sellers Made in China too.
The downtown shops have been designed to satisfy tourists ... but not locals. © Jean-Sébastien Soldaïni for Europe 1.
Authorities pushing for mass tourism
Stefano Croce, president of the Venice tour guides association, sighs with annoyance along the Beggars Canal. He and his colleagues did not realize that a pontoon was built when all the Venetians were confined. The authorities' objective is to bring tourists back as quickly as possible. During the confinement, the residents had the chance to see their city as they have never seen it before. Calm. Clean. Silent. Also, the announced return of travelers is far from delighting everyone.
Main maritime artery of Venice, the Grand Canal has been almost deserted by traffic. © Jean-Sébastien Soldaïni for Europe 1.
Don't tell Stefano Croce that to reduce the number of tourists would be to kill the goose that lays the golden egg. He fights for sustainable tourism in the City of the Doges. Because like many Venetians, he no longer wants to see these huge cruise ships damage the Lido. "It's not the number that counts. We could replace the cruise ship wharf with a port for Luxury Yachts. These people would stay longer and spend their money in hotels and shops," argues he.
Normally, the "Serenissima" has become "an amusement park", sighs a guide. In the meantime, the bridge of the same name is still a little quiet before the return of foreign visitors.
Find the other pages of our reporter's "Logbook" across southern Europe:
>> First stage, Ventimiglia
>> Second stage, Milan