Associazione Piazza San Marco
close
October 15, 2013

PRESS CONFERENCE AT THE FLORIAN FOR THE END OF THE SAN MARCO GUARDIANS INITIATIVE

The president of the Associazione Piazza San Marco Alberto Nardi expressed his satisfaction with the ‘San Marco Guardian’s’ initiative, strongly called for by the same association, at the press conference held this morning at the Caffè Florian in St Mark’s Square to mark its end. The St Mark’s area was once again this summer policed by fifteen ‘Guardians’ who, with their coloured uniforms and armed with much patience, alternated during the day to ensure the dignity of the most beautiful square in the world. Alberto Nardi said that the project had given good results and that the Square was certainly better controlled, although there were some problems regarding the invasion of illegal sellers of grain and other items, mainly from Bangladesh, who now represent a serious problem of public order. Nardi said that he had spoken to the mayor Giorgio Orsoni about this, asking that pressure be put on Rome to relate penalties to residence permits. The association intends to repeat the operation next year, too, but needs a sponsor. Costa Crociere’s financial contribution was decisive in the success of the project this year. Furthermore, Nardi thinks that the Venetian experience could be a pilot project for possible adoption in Florence, Rome, Verona or Milan, the basic concept of which remains that of welcome and not of a city of prohibitions. The commander of the municipal police in the city centre, Flavio Gastaldi, thanked the San Marco Guardians for the commendable work done to protect the Square and provide information to tourists. A colourful note was added when the San Marco Guardians spoke of tourists who asked about the ‘famous fountain where you throw in coins’ or, worse still, a woman who ‘let her child have a pee under the Procuratie near the Aurora bar’.