Tourists in Venice, Italy, recently expressed frustration with Google Maps over what they believe were misleading directions, leading to an unexpected plunge into a canal.
A Polish visitor shared a video of himself going down the stairs, which leads straight into the water. The caption in the footage notes, “Google Maps says ‘Go straight,’ but you’re in Venice.”
In the video, a woman slips down the stairs and falls onto her back, before the clip shows her trying to clean off her foot. The caption reads, “How it started… and how it’s going.”
This post quickly went viral, racking up around 300,000 likes while attracting mixed reactions in the comments. One viewer questioned, “Wow, what did she think would happen if she went down the stone steps and into the water?”
Another commenter expressed concern about cleanliness, saying, “Oh that water…girl, I hope it’s sanitized.” Meanwhile, someone else asked, “Quick question. What were you thinking?”
Comments continued, with one user observing that the woman probably meant to stop at the last step but ended up falling instead. Another noted, “People will do anything to get attention.”
Venice has been facing issues with overtourism for years and is actively trying to deal with the impact. Recently, the city announced plans to introduce a new admission fee for day-trippers, hoping to manage visitor numbers, especially during peak times.
Starting next April, visitors who book four days in advance will need to pay a $5.17 entry fee. However, that fee rises to $10.33 for last-minute bookings made within three days. It’s important to note that this fee only applies to the main city of Venice, not the surrounding islands.
Exemptions from this fee will be available for residents, property owners, students, workers, individuals with disabilities, and children under 14 years old.
Pino Parisi, an Italian travel agent based in Connecticut, mentioned that the tourist tax hasn’t deterred visitors, indicating that tourist numbers in Italy this year have surged.
According to the U.S. State Department, approximately 6 million Americans traveled to Italy in 2023.
