Two German tourists in Venice were fined $790 and were taken away from the city, as they swam in the city's Grand Canal. The tourists were swimming in the canal on Wednesday around 3 pm, local time, after they undressed near the Rialto bridge, left their clothes there, and jumped into the water to cross the Grand Canal, according to a police spokesperson. Venice is known for its waterways, situated in northeastern Italy enclosed by a bay in the Adriatic Sea.
The main waterway, that is the Grand Canal, having an average depth of 16 feet, connects to many smaller canals. It is lined on both sides by places such as churches, palaces, hotels and is the city's most popular tourist attraction.
Military Patrol Branch Informed Police
A police spokesperson told CNN that the city's Lagunari Regiment's members, who are the part of a military police branch usually patrol and keep order, began filming the two men as they saw them swimming. This footage was shown to the local police, who later fined the tourists. "The two men were fined €350 each and were temporarily removed from the city," the police added.
Fined and Removed From the City
The fine imposed on the swimmers was the standard penalty for such acts in Venice's famous canals but was not related to any coronavirus related restrictions. These flaunters were temporarily removed from the city of Venice under its "DASPO Urbano" regulation, which allowed authorities to remove people from a city so that public order is maintained.
This comes after more than two months of the country's strict lockdown measures to contain the spread of coronavirus. However, Italy has begun to welcome visitors back. The foreign ministry said, as of Wednesday, those arriving from anywhere in the EU, the UK or those countries covered by the Schengen Agreement could freely travel to Italy without any need to get into quarantine.
