Saint Mark’s Square as Contested Political Space: Protesting Cruise Tourism in Venice

Abstract

Saint Mark’s Square is unquestionably the most famous tourist attraction in Venice, a piazza characterised by its complex history, unique aesthetics and many allusions to power (given its proximity to the Doge’s Palace and Saint Mark’s Basilica). This square is the largest open space in the city and while it is routinely crowded with tourists from all over the world, political demonstrations have been prohibited since 1997. This article explores Saint Mark’s Square as a contested political space by focusing on the many local struggles against cruise tourism in Venice and its lagoon. Instead of constituting an ‘apolitical’ space, the preferred uses given to the square by local authorities and tourism stakeholders are manifestly ‘political’, producing a space of leisure and consumption that benefits the economic logic behind the ‘normal’ functioning of the piazza. Other alternative social and political uses of the square are not only discouraged but banned, which brings into discussion the Lefebvrian notion of the right to the city: who has access to the centre as a (political) privileged space? The article examines protest acts undertaken by the collective No Grandi Navi, particularly the political events that took place after the MSC Opera collision with another tourist vessel and the dock in June 2019.

Social Resistance and Spatial Knowledge: Protest Against Cruise Ships in Venice

“…Coalitions of associations, organizations, and committees are evidence not just of the city’s problems, but also of the initiative and agency of its inhabitants (cf. Araya López 2021 ; Dlabaja 2021 ). This engagement underlines Henri Lefebvre’s notion of the city “as a resource of society” (Schmid 2011 : 32), and it shows a demand for participation in the shaping of the economic, social, and cultural resources which are increasingly being transferred to external stakeholders.…”

“…In addition to these visual campaigns, the Comitato No Grandi Navi has also engaged in confrontational initiatives over the years. The area around Piazza San Marco, the political center of the former Venetian Republic, is arguably the most symbolically resonant space in the city (Araya López 2021 ). Despite being Venice’s primary tourist attraction, Piazza San Marco continues to hold symbolic meaning and value for the city’s residents.…”