The city has also seen an improvement in air quality due to the reduced traffic. More widely,  The European Space Agency released a video showing a drop in nitrogen dioxide in Italy since early January – a result of the nationwide lockdown.

Before the onset of the pandemic, Italy had been focusing on putting in place restrictions on tourism, many of which are still in place. For instance, from July this year, Venice will introduce a tax of €3 during the low season and €10 in high season. There are plans to charge day visitors up to €10 per day.

Italy is suffering from the worst outbreak of Covid-19 in Europe, with almost 3,000 deaths as of today.

For our guide to tourist taxes around the world (written before the current pandemic), see…

Smart traveller: A guide to tourist tax