1 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:03,519 Speaker 1: Joe McKenna and Italy morning to you, good money mine. 2 00:00:03,560 --> 00:00:06,400 Speaker 1: What's going on here with the prosecutors and the ships 3 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: and the neglect. 4 00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:11,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, well this is an interesting case. Italian prosecutors have 5 00:00:11,600 --> 00:00:15,720 Speaker 2: accused six officials, including coast Guard officials, of failing to 6 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:19,320 Speaker 2: intervene and do more to save the lives of ninety 7 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:22,880 Speaker 2: four migrants that died off the coast of southern Italy 8 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 2: in February. Now, Italy's Interior minister has defended these officials. 9 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:30,800 Speaker 2: It looks like they could even face charges of manslaughter 10 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:33,800 Speaker 2: and negligence for their failure to intervene. So this could 11 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:37,280 Speaker 2: be an interesting test case for Italy going up ahead. 12 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:39,800 Speaker 1: Now, then we come back to this ongoing debate around tourism. 13 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:42,159 Speaker 1: It seems the headlines globally have been picked up in 14 00:00:42,159 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 1: places like Spain, but Venus of course, as you're particularly 15 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:49,320 Speaker 1: famous example. Now we've got Capri and the mayor so over, 16 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:51,920 Speaker 1: tourism is a major thing this summer. 17 00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:56,440 Speaker 2: It is a major thing. It's really boomed since Covid 18 00:00:56,480 --> 00:00:59,120 Speaker 2: of course, and Cupri is one of the most popular 19 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:03,880 Speaker 2: tourist destined. Initially frustrated with the hordes of tourists clogging 20 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:07,520 Speaker 2: up certain sites around the Blue Grotto, the famous Blue 21 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:10,880 Speaker 2: grotto there. One of the mayors is proposing a barrier 22 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:15,360 Speaker 2: of around forty boys to be placed offshore to keep 23 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:19,679 Speaker 2: the motor boats away the boatloads of the boatloads of 24 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:23,640 Speaker 2: tourists from this western side of the island. Now, I 25 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:26,440 Speaker 2: don't think that's going to keep the tourists away from Cupri. 26 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:30,440 Speaker 2: They're still pouring in and I think it's a great 27 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:32,720 Speaker 2: pressure on the island because they've had pressure on their 28 00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:35,080 Speaker 2: water supply lately and some disruption. 29 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:36,760 Speaker 1: There we gave. Actually, it's funny you should say that. 30 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:38,319 Speaker 1: I was reading an article the other day about a 31 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:40,480 Speaker 1: tiny village that had the same problem. There's so many 32 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:43,320 Speaker 1: I'd never heard of the place, but they were running 33 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:45,400 Speaker 1: out of water because there were so many tourists. Is 34 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 1: that a thing in small villages? 35 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:50,680 Speaker 2: Well, I spoke to someone on the island of Cupri 36 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 2: and they said that the infrastructure is so old and 37 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:56,280 Speaker 2: in so need of maintenance it doesn't take much to 38 00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:59,520 Speaker 2: push it over the edge. And we're seeing the same 39 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:02,200 Speaker 2: problems I think in Sicily, because there's a major drought 40 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:05,240 Speaker 2: down there and some of the towns are really rationing 41 00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:09,919 Speaker 2: water now, so this whole idea of water and providing 42 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:12,359 Speaker 2: water and getting it to people in need is coming 43 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:14,800 Speaker 2: under more pressure because of tourists demand as well. 44 00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 1: We also gave some numbers the other day on Venice, 45 00:02:16,919 --> 00:02:19,840 Speaker 1: you know, their entry fee, their five euro thing. They 46 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:22,360 Speaker 1: sort of claimed victory because they said that there wasn't 47 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:25,440 Speaker 1: a peak, the peak wasn't broken, and people didn't come 48 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:27,600 Speaker 1: as much on week, but it didn't seem really to 49 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:29,280 Speaker 1: have made a lot of difference. I mean, was that 50 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:32,240 Speaker 1: just a revenue gathering exercise or is the sense that 51 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:35,440 Speaker 1: they actually did achieve some level of success. 52 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:38,400 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it really has been a revenue exercise, 53 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:42,360 Speaker 2: revenue raising exercise. And what's interesting now, Mike, is that 54 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:46,359 Speaker 2: the mayor of Venice is under fire for alleged corruption. 55 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:51,480 Speaker 2: So the whole thing about the tourism fee has been 56 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:54,960 Speaker 2: overtaken by some political machinations going on there. 57 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:57,320 Speaker 1: So watch this space. The corruption in Italy. Who would 58 00:02:57,320 --> 00:03:02,800 Speaker 1: have thought so? The courts guy mood girlfriend, but he's off. 59 00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:03,640 Speaker 1: How'd that happen? 60 00:03:05,400 --> 00:03:09,119 Speaker 2: Very strange decision from Italy's highest court, the Court of Cassation, 61 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:12,520 Speaker 2: which is like the High court. They've overturned the life 62 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:15,240 Speaker 2: sentence of a man convicted of killing his girlfriend in 63 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:19,080 Speaker 2: early twenty twenty, suggesting he was driven by anxiety caused 64 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:22,880 Speaker 2: by the COVID pandemic outrage from the family, of course. 65 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:28,400 Speaker 2: And this sentence still stands, but the I'm sorry, the 66 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:31,520 Speaker 2: conviction still stands, but the life sentence is being reviewed 67 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:32,320 Speaker 2: by another court. 68 00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:34,600 Speaker 1: Interesting, All right, Joe, you go well, we'll catch up 69 00:03:34,639 --> 00:03:36,640 Speaker 1: next week. Appreciate it very much. The other thing I read, 70 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:38,400 Speaker 1: by the way, in Italy, that White Lotus, You know 71 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:40,960 Speaker 1: the hotel they've filmed the White Lotus at in Sicily. 72 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:43,480 Speaker 1: They charge you now to go in, not as a gift, 73 00:03:43,600 --> 00:03:45,120 Speaker 1: They just charge you if you just wander in there 74 00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:46,160 Speaker 1: to say, hey, can I have a look at the 75 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:49,120 Speaker 1: spamous hotel? They say, no problem, fifty euros thanks pretty much. 76 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 1: And the cost of a room. You can't afford a 77 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:52,360 Speaker 1: cost of a room now because it's gone through the roof. 78 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:55,920 Speaker 1: For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to 79 00:03:56,040 --> 00:03:59,120 Speaker 1: news talks. It'd be from six am weekdays, or follow 80 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:00,680 Speaker 1: the podcast on my Heart Radio.