Officials in Italy's Capri are planning a crackdown on overtourism to the Isle.
One of the isle's mayor is proposing a barrier of 40 buoys to be placed 100 metres offshore for a distance of around 6km around its western side.
It comes after Venice wrapped up a pilot programme charging entrance fees to day-trippers.
Italian correspondent Jo McKenna says Capri was also forced to temporarily suspend visitor arrivals in June when its water supply broke down.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Joe McKenna and Italy morning to you, good money mine.
What's going on here with the prosecutors and the ships
and the neglect.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Yeah, well this is an interesting case. Italian prosecutors have
accused six officials, including coast Guard officials, of failing to
intervene and do more to save the lives of ninety
four migrants that died off the coast of southern Italy
in February. Now, Italy's Interior minister has defended these officials.
It looks like they could even face charges of manslaughter
(00:30):
and negligence for their failure to intervene. So this could
be an interesting test case for Italy going up ahead.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Now, then we come back to this ongoing debate around tourism.
It seems the headlines globally have been picked up in
places like Spain, but Venus of course, as you're particularly
famous example. Now we've got Capri and the mayor so over,
tourism is a major thing this summer.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
It is a major thing. It's really boomed since Covid
of course, and Cupri is one of the most popular
tourist destined. Initially frustrated with the hordes of tourists clogging
up certain sites around the Blue Grotto, the famous Blue
grotto there. One of the mayors is proposing a barrier
of around forty boys to be placed offshore to keep
(01:15):
the motor boats away the boatloads of the boatloads of
tourists from this western side of the island. Now, I
don't think that's going to keep the tourists away from Cupri.
They're still pouring in and I think it's a great
pressure on the island because they've had pressure on their
water supply lately and some disruption.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
There we gave. Actually, it's funny you should say that.
I was reading an article the other day about a
tiny village that had the same problem. There's so many
I'd never heard of the place, but they were running
out of water because there were so many tourists. Is
that a thing in small villages?
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Well, I spoke to someone on the island of Cupri
and they said that the infrastructure is so old and
in so need of maintenance it doesn't take much to
push it over the edge. And we're seeing the same
problems I think in Sicily, because there's a major drought
down there and some of the towns are really rationing
water now, so this whole idea of water and providing
(02:09):
water and getting it to people in need is coming
under more pressure because of tourists demand as well.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
We also gave some numbers the other day on Venice,
you know, their entry fee, their five euro thing. They
sort of claimed victory because they said that there wasn't
a peak, the peak wasn't broken, and people didn't come
as much on week, but it didn't seem really to
have made a lot of difference. I mean, was that
just a revenue gathering exercise or is the sense that
they actually did achieve some level of success.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Yeah, I think it really has been a revenue exercise,
revenue raising exercise. And what's interesting now, Mike, is that
the mayor of Venice is under fire for alleged corruption.
So the whole thing about the tourism fee has been
overtaken by some political machinations going on there.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
So watch this space. The corruption in Italy. Who would
have thought so? The courts guy mood girlfriend, but he's off.
How'd that happen?
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Very strange decision from Italy's highest court, the Court of Cassation,
which is like the High court. They've overturned the life
sentence of a man convicted of killing his girlfriend in
early twenty twenty, suggesting he was driven by anxiety caused
by the COVID pandemic outrage from the family, of course.
And this sentence still stands, but the I'm sorry, the
(03:28):
conviction still stands, but the life sentence is being reviewed
by another court.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Interesting, All right, Joe, you go well, we'll catch up
next week. Appreciate it very much. The other thing I read,
by the way, in Italy, that White Lotus, You know
the hotel they've filmed the White Lotus at in Sicily.
They charge you now to go in, not as a gift,
They just charge you if you just wander in there
to say, hey, can I have a look at the
spamous hotel? They say, no problem, fifty euros thanks pretty much.
And the cost of a room. You can't afford a
cost of a room now because it's gone through the roof.
(03:53):
For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to
news talks. It'd be from six am weekdays, or follow
the podcast on my Heart Radio.
Joe McKenna and Italy morning to you, good money mine.
What's going on here with the prosecutors and the ships
and the neglect.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Yeah, well this is an interesting case. Italian prosecutors have
accused six officials, including coast Guard officials, of failing to
intervene and do more to save the lives of ninety
four migrants that died off the coast of southern Italy
in February. Now, Italy's Interior minister has defended these officials.
It looks like they could even face charges of manslaughter
(00:30):
and negligence for their failure to intervene. So this could
be an interesting test case for Italy going up ahead.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Now, then we come back to this ongoing debate around tourism.
It seems the headlines globally have been picked up in
places like Spain, but Venus of course, as you're particularly
famous example. Now we've got Capri and the mayor so over,
tourism is a major thing this summer.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
It is a major thing. It's really boomed since Covid
of course, and Cupri is one of the most popular
tourist destined. Initially frustrated with the hordes of tourists clogging
up certain sites around the Blue Grotto, the famous Blue
grotto there. One of the mayors is proposing a barrier
of around forty boys to be placed offshore to keep
(01:15):
the motor boats away the boatloads of the boatloads of
tourists from this western side of the island. Now, I
don't think that's going to keep the tourists away from Cupri.
They're still pouring in and I think it's a great
pressure on the island because they've had pressure on their
water supply lately and some disruption.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
There we gave. Actually, it's funny you should say that.
I was reading an article the other day about a
tiny village that had the same problem. There's so many
I'd never heard of the place, but they were running
out of water because there were so many tourists. Is
that a thing in small villages?
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Well, I spoke to someone on the island of Cupri
and they said that the infrastructure is so old and
in so need of maintenance it doesn't take much to
push it over the edge. And we're seeing the same
problems I think in Sicily, because there's a major drought
down there and some of the towns are really rationing
water now, so this whole idea of water and providing
(02:09):
water and getting it to people in need is coming
under more pressure because of tourists demand as well.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
We also gave some numbers the other day on Venice,
you know, their entry fee, their five euro thing. They
sort of claimed victory because they said that there wasn't
a peak, the peak wasn't broken, and people didn't come
as much on week, but it didn't seem really to
have made a lot of difference. I mean, was that
just a revenue gathering exercise or is the sense that
they actually did achieve some level of success.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Yeah, I think it really has been a revenue exercise,
revenue raising exercise. And what's interesting now, Mike, is that
the mayor of Venice is under fire for alleged corruption.
So the whole thing about the tourism fee has been
overtaken by some political machinations going on there.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
So watch this space. The corruption in Italy. Who would
have thought so? The courts guy mood girlfriend, but he's off.
How'd that happen?
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Very strange decision from Italy's highest court, the Court of Cassation,
which is like the High court. They've overturned the life
sentence of a man convicted of killing his girlfriend in
early twenty twenty, suggesting he was driven by anxiety caused
by the COVID pandemic outrage from the family, of course.
And this sentence still stands, but the I'm sorry, the
(03:28):
conviction still stands, but the life sentence is being reviewed
by another court.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Interesting, All right, Joe, you go well, we'll catch up
next week. Appreciate it very much. The other thing I read,
by the way, in Italy, that White Lotus, You know
the hotel they've filmed the White Lotus at in Sicily.
They charge you now to go in, not as a gift,
They just charge you if you just wander in there
to say, hey, can I have a look at the
spamous hotel? They say, no problem, fifty euros thanks pretty much.
And the cost of a room. You can't afford a
cost of a room now because it's gone through the roof.
(03:53):
For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to
news talks. It'd be from six am weekdays, or follow
the podcast on my Heart Radio.
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