How do you envision Venice in the future? Antonio Rosa Salva

RewritingtheFuture of Venice for Antonio Rosa Salva means welcoming quality tourism in an organized manner, services and employment for Venetians

He shares the same name and magic as the “royal household cook.” We are speaking of Antonio Rosa Salva from the historic Rosa Salva family, which in 1870 began, with founder Andrea Rosa, to make cuisine mobile by organizing home-delivered meals at Venetian palaces or in surrounding villas.

With #RewritingtheFuture, a project/debate by Venezia da Vivere and Associazione Piazza San Marco, today we present the vision of an entrepreneur whose name is history in Venice.

How do you envision Venice in the future?

I envision the Venice I remember from many years ago. A Venice free from mass tourism that overwhelms it and, like a wave, departs leaving only dirt and debris.

A city that can welcome quality tourism in a dignified and organized manner, attentive to the beauty, culture, and works of art that surround it. A city that offers a climate of peaceful coexistence and shared spaces between residents and visitors.

I envision a Venice that returns to life with Venetians, offering services and employment for citizens and freeing itself from the tourism monoculture of recent years.

What can politics and citizens do for a rebirth of Venice?

Incentives for residency and for activities directed at and conducted by citizens, while simultaneously limiting or blocking mass tourism.

Urban decorum, clear rules for businesses, minimum rates for accommodation facilities, and the fight against illegal operations. These are the primary actions to pursue at the political level. The rest will follow as a consequence.

Commercial establishments catering to mass tourism would gradually disappear, making way for neighborhood shops and quality establishments. Commercial businesses, public establishments, and accommodation facilities will need to adapt to higher quality standards to meet the demands of a high-level clientele.

Citizens, for their part, could have more employment opportunities (quality craftsmanship, more elegant shops connected to local tradition, shipbuilding…) and would certainly be more inclined to interact constructively with sustainable and non-invasive tourism.

Propose a specific idea in at least one of these areas: environment, residency, employment, culture, safety, tourism.

Environment: regulation of wave motion and emissions. Incentives for proper engine maintenance and/or replacement with electric motors.

Residency: tax relief for rentals to residents and benefits for property owners who rent to residents.

Employment: incentives to start neighborhood businesses and tax credits for property owners who rent to these categories. Incentives for traditional activities or new businesses started by young people, concerning high-quality craftsmanship and product quality.

Culture: widespread activities that offer continuous employment and not only spot work tied to events; culture must be understood as the permanent enhancement of the city’s immense material and intangible heritage.

Tourism: landing tax for hit-and-run tourism and concurrent incentives for stays/overnight accommodations in historic center facilities with benefits increasing proportionally to the number of nights (agreements with museums, transportation, and public establishments). Use of the tourist tax for the city and services offered, not to cover other losses. Single booking portal for services: accommodations, transportation, museums, and attractions should converge into a single network with the ability to book various packages online.

Antonio Rosa Salva, Pasticceria Rosa Salva.

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