#9: The “Disneyland-ification”
Venice’s critics often use the same dreaded phrase: Disneyland. They don’t mean the city has lost its beauty. They mean authenticity is being staged, simplified, and packaged for quick consumption. Culture becomes backdrop. Restaurants chase turnover. Shops sell fantasy versions of local craft. Streets become one-way streams of visitors. The danger is not that Venice becomes ugly. It’s worse: it becomes beautiful but hollow, like a set after filming ends.
