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‘Imbeciles!’ Venice fines canal-surfing tourists

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ROME (REUTERS) – Two foreign tourists who sped down Venice’s famous Grand Canal on motorised surf boards have been identified and fined, city authorities said.

Venice mayor Luigi Brugnaro called the culprits “imbeciles" after online videos showed them on the waterway on Wednesday (Aug 17).

The duo were seen passing under a bridge and past a vaporetto, or water taxi.

The mayor offered a restaurant dinner to anyone who could identify them.

It did not take local police long to track them down, fine them 1,500 euros (S$2,000) each and confiscate their surf boards worth some 25,000 euros, a statement from the mayor’s office said.

The footage of the men surfing down the canal went viral on social media and helped the police to identify them.

But the city authorities did not reveal who they were.

“Thanks to everyone for the help,” Mr Brugnaro tweeted.

He added that the city would press charges against the tourists and inform the consulates of their countries about their conduct.

The Grand Canal is not only at the heart of a Unesco World Heritage site, it also serves as a key water-traffic corridor in the Italian city.

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