The UN art heritage agency Unesco recently said it would examine a proposal to put Venice Italy on its endangered list if the lagoon city doesn't issue a permanent ban on cruise ships docking there.
Unesco revealed it will discuss the issue at the plenary session on July 16-31, and if approved, it could demand urgent action by the Italian government by February 2022.
Unesco warned that the survival of the port city will be even more in peril if Venice doesn't issue a permanent ban on cruise ships.
Earlier this month, a large cruise ship sailed into the lagoon for the first time since the COVID crisis began, despite an announcement from the government that the liners would be banned from the historic downtown. The plan was for the vessels to be diverted to the industrial port of Marghera while building a cruise ship terminal outside the lagoon.
In April, the decree was approved by the lower house of the parliament, but infrastructure work will be needed to make it possible to redirect ships to Marghera.
Currently, the only way for the liners to enter Venice is via Giudecca Canal.
Popular figures in the arts, including Tilda Swinton and Mick Jagger, signed a letter urging Rome to take action to safeguard the lagoon city.