Venice mayor condemns “two idiots” for water skiing on Grand Canal

The mayor of Venice (Italy) condemned “two idiots” who were filmed waterskiing on the Grand Canal on Wednesday, offering a dinner to anyone who spotted them.

Later, after his Twitter call went viral, Luigi Brugnaro announced that the two had been found and their boards confiscated. He said they will act “as they deserve”.

“Here are two arrogant idiots making a mockery of our city,” he wrote, posting a video showing two young men on skis being towed by a speedboat on a canal, the Italian city’s most famous waterway. “I offer a feast to those who recognize them!”

Still, he seemed to agree that there was little he could do to stop the two skiers, adding that “mayors need to be given more power over public safety.”

After becoming a ghost town during a period of quarantine due to COVID-19, Venice is once again attracting tourists from all over the world and its canals were bustling with pre-pandemic, heavy boat traffic.