Large cruise ships are to be banned from entering Venice's historic centre, the Italian government says. Ships weighing more than 1,000 tons will be rerouted away from certain waterways from September. The move follows an accident in June in which a ship collided with a dock, injuring five people.
A special commission approved this week a plan to divert cruise ships away from Venice's historic center by 2016, but activists seeking to rid the city of the giant ships expressed reservations about the proposed new route.