PROTESTERS marching against a controversial "tourist tax" slapped on short stay holidaymakers have clashed with cops.
Furious demonstrators wielding colourful placards and banners descended on Venice's narrow streets and picturesque canals to voice their opposition to the decision.
The proposal has been debated for years - but Venice will begin charging day-trippers €5 (£4.30) if visiting the historical Italian centre from today until May 5.
Venice is the first city in the world to charge an entry fee for holidaymakers.
The new measures have been introduced due to the over tourism the area suffers from.
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The council executive backed the move just weeks after UN cultural agency UNESCO recommended Venice be added to its list of world heritage in danger, in part because of the impact of mass tourism.
Locals also lined the streets to support disgruntled tourists.
Matteo Secchi, who leads residents' activist group Venessia.com, said: "I can tell you that almost the entire city is against it.
"You can't impose an entrance fee to a city; all they're doing is transforming it into a theme park.
"This is a bad image for Venice…I mean, are we joking?"
The city is yet to reveal how many tickets will be sold per day, meaning some tourists could be turned away on entry.
The 30-day trial will take place across public holidays and weekends next spring and summer.
Not everyone will have to pay the charge.
People who live in Venice are exempt, as are students and kids under the age of 14.
And anyone staying in Venice overnight also won't have to pay the €5 charge.
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Simone Venturini, the city's council member for tourism, said the new scheme was not about making money, but to find a "balance between the rights of those who live, study or work in Venice, and those who visit the city".
The plans were first discussed back in 2018, with previous plans charging as much as €10 to enter.
Venturini said he had been inundated with questions about the scheme at a recent UN tourism conference.
"We are guinea pigs, and there was great interest," he said.
Former mayor Massimo Cacciari slammed the 'tax', pointing out that tourists already "pay for everything" and urged visitors to refuse paying the fee.
But tourism councillor Simone Venturini applauded the fee as a pragmatic approach to reducing the effects of over tourism.
"We want to discourage day-trippers from visiting Venice during these 29 designated days," he said.
"Fewer day trippers does not mean less revenue because overnight tourists are more important to the economy of the city.
"We will see the results in the medium to long-term and in the meantime we will assess how it goes."
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