It seems that tourists visiting Venice can still bring their wheelie suitcases, at least for the time being.
Last week, it was reported that city officials were preparing to introduce a new law in 2015 that would impose fines on tourists using wheelie suitcases that cause damage to the ancient stone streets and create loud street noise.
“The historical centers of lots of other places have the same problems as us – Rome, Florence, Siena. There needs to be a way for tourists to wheel around their luggage without making that crazy noise,” said Maurizio Dorigo, the council’s planning director.
But after opposition to the proposed law—which would reportedly see charges as much as 500 euros ($620) on travelers, the city is backtracking on the proposal.
“I firmly deny that the Municipality of Venice has ever thought to ban the use of trolleys in the historical center,” said Vittorio Zappalorto, special commissioner of the city of Venice, in a statement released to a local Italian paper.
Officials say that the regulations were only meant for professional carts used to transport large goods “that severely erode, with their wheels, the Venetian paving stone called ‘masegni’ that are made of trachyte, causing besides noise pollution.” He urged the city to find a way to end the “annoying” noise, that is particularly disturbing in early morning hours.
Though tourists may not be immediately affected, Zappalorto reiterated that he hopes the tourism industry will continue to discuss how to address the general issue of noisy, damage-inducing bags. The commissioner previously endorsed the idea of luggage companies developing softer, air-filled wheels for luggage.
“This will undoubtedly be a deserving action that will contribute to the preservation of our architectural heritage and to the serenity of residents and tourists themselves,” he said.
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