Venice for sale to highest bidder
Venice is selling 13 historic villas and palaces in some of the most sought-after locations on the planet - on the Grand Canal, the island of Murano and the Lido - in an auction that has been greeted with outrage by locals. And part of a broader campaign by the Italian government to exploit its huge legacy of state-owned historical buildings, the sale is likely to raise up to £100 million. In Venice there are the fears that the sale will accelerate the Disneyfication of the city, because the villas are most likely to be turned into luxury hotels. In one local paper screamed the headline - Venice sells its family jewels. And campaigners hope cash from the sale will bring some economic energy into Venice away from tourism - but are not optimistic. The increasingly frequent flooding of the Venice has been a major barrier to investment. More than 50 times a year St Mark's Square floods and the Adriatic's rise threatens one day to overwhelm the city.