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With its canals, romantic architecture and gourmet cuisine, it\u2019s no surprise that Venice is one of Europe\u2019s top tourist destinations.<\/p>\n
But the popular city is at risk of \u201cirreversible\u201d damage, according to a new report released by UNESCO.<\/p>\n
The Italian city is under threat from excessive tourism, overdevelopment and rising sea levels caused by climate change.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the Venice municipality said they would \u201ccarefully read\u201d the report from UNESCO.<\/p>\n
However, one of the city\u2019s former mayors has hit back at UNESCO and called it \u201cone of the most expensive and useless bodies on the face of the earth\u201d.<\/p>\n
READ MORE <\/strong> Italy\u2019s mysterious ghost town that\u2019s been used as a film set<\/strong><\/p>\n Massimo Cacciari, who served as mayor of Venice between 1993 and 2000, said: \u201cThey don\u2019t give us any funding to make changes\u2026all they do is criticise.<\/p>\n \u201cAs if Venice needed UNESCO to be a world heritage site! We need more action and fewer words.\u201d<\/p>\n The former mayor said the city \u201cwould do best to disregard\u201d UNESCO\u2019s suggestions in future.<\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n Venice was almost put on the danger list two years ago but the Italian Government took some emergency measures to avoid it.<\/p>\n This included banning large cruise ships from the city centre which has had a positive impact on pollution.<\/p>\n According to research from Transport & Environment, sulfur oxide emissions dropped by 80 percent in Venice since the ban.<\/p>\n However, UNESCO has said the city needs to ban other ships which are also a source of pollution.<\/p>\n During peak season around 110,000 tourists visit Venice per day which can put pressure on the city\u2019s infrastructure.<\/p>\n UNESCO has listed 55 World Heritage sites as being \u201cin danger\u201d while over 200 are being monitored by the agency.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/25\/590x\/secondary\/TRAVEL-Venice-4886104.jpg?r=1690887275785\")
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