A couple of ‘overbearing idiots’ infuriated Venetians by rushing along the city’s historic Grand Canal on a pair of £20,000 electric hydrofoils.
The two Australians shocked tourists and residents by speeding along the main thoroughfare in the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage Site yesterday morning.
One of the surfers was seen shooting photos on his phone before falling into the canal.
The mayor of the Italian city, Luigi Brugnaro, demanded that the couple be punished and offered a free meal to anyone who could identify them.
Here are two obnoxious idiots who make a mockery of the city, he remarked.
I want everyone to assist us in identifying the perpetrators in order to punish them, even if our weapons are extremely blunt… we desperately need mayors to have greater authority in terms of public safety!
“To those who find them, I offer a meal!”
In a later tweet, the mayor declared, “We have recognized the two “heroes” of this morning!”
The two boards have already been seized, and, without going into greater detail, the culprits will soon be in our custody: they will be punished as they deserve!
“We appreciate everyone’s cooperation.”
The pair was fined 3,000 Euros each and banished from the city for threatening the safety of navigation along the canal, according to local sources.
They are facing extra accusations for allegedly harming the city’s reputation.
On the renowned Grand Canal, which is frequently lined with gondolas and water taxis, surfing, paddle boarding, and canoeing are all prohibited.
Frequently, electric-powered propellers are integrated into foil surfboards.
It is the most recent in a string of cases in Italy where tourists have offended locals by driving their autos through ancient landmarks.
A visitor from Australia was arrested earlier this month for riding his moped through the ancient ruins of Pompeii.
The 33-year-old ‘barbarian’ was detained by security after traveling approximately one mile around the world-famous archaeological area.
The tourist claimed he was unaware that he was not permitted to drive through the 2,000-year-old site, which was damaged by a volcanic explosion in 79 AD.
The UNESCO world heritage site prohibits visitor vehicles, and in this instance the park determined that no old city sections were accessible or damaged.
Since then, the individual has been charged with “unauthorized entry.”
The park stated in a statement: ‘The path used is a dirt road outside the ancient city walls that excavation vehicles utilize.
It is secure, renovated, and closed to the public. So there was never any threat to either visitors or the archaeological treasures. Earlier this year, two American tourists threw e-scooters down the Spanish Steps in Rome, causing €25,000 in damage.
In June, a 28-year-old woman and a 29-year-old male were each fined €400 (£338) for ‘deliberately’ driving a scooter down the 18th-century Trinità de Monti staircase.
It fractured the sixteenth and twenty-ninth steps of the right staircase, according to Rome’s heritage preservation agency.
As a result of the woman purposefully driving her scooter down the steps, a legal complaint was made against her for harming the sacred stairwell, an act punishable by up to one year in prison or a minimum punishment of €2,010.
A Saudi Arabian man was charged earlier this year for attempting to drive his rental Maserati down the stairs, shattering travertine stone in the process.