PD Senator Andrea Martella launches his candidacy for mayor of Venice with a declaration on cruise ships: “No to the excavation of Vittorio Emanuele, we need to focus on the offshore port.” Regarding the centralization of power over the past ten years, he says: “The role of the municipalities has been reduced to zero. They need to be re-established, with powers and resources to bring them closer to the citizens.”
January 31, 2026
By Francesco Furlan
Senator Andrea Martella, in your first speech as a candidate for mayor, you spoke of the need for a special statute for Venice. Why?
“It is a fundamental tool, not only to reinforce the international image Venice has and must enhance, but also to give it powers and autonomy in certain areas such as tourism and housing, which will allow Venice to make its own choices and have access to resources. We have already presented a bill, and we will have to work on it so that the city’s special status is recognized in the Constitution. This is a step forward compared to the special law that has to be financed at intervals; the city needs constitutional status.“
Let’s talk about tourism management. What is your view on the access fee?
”As it was conceived, it has not brought results; it has not served to improve the quality of life of Venetians. It has only served to raise a little money. But it’s not just about tourism: we will also consider residential issues, because when talking about tourism, I also think about the issue of short-term rentals, for which there has been no regulation whatsoever. Tourism is a fundamental part of Venice’s economy, but it is not the only one, and above all, it must be managed differently.”
Is it necessary to put a cap on visitors, to identify a maximum threshold for the number of people in the city?
“We will have to study this idea carefully. I would like us to open a discussion on this issue with all parties, starting with the universities, in order to arrive at a specific proposal within a few months. The aim is to mitigate the effect of tourism to make it more balanced.”
The lagoon ecosystem. Your coalition is opposed to the dredging of the Vittorio Emanuele canal.
“We will discuss this with the port authority, partly because it seems to me that there has not been much discussion in recent years. We need to address the issue of the relationship between port activities, which must be guaranteed, and the protection of the morphological balance of the lagoon. We need to speed up the offshore port process as a solution that must be looked at. In the transition phase, we need to think about non-definitive solutions that can have minimal impact.“
The canal excavation project is already being evaluated by the National VIA Commission. How can it be blocked?
“When I say that we will take an active role in addressing all these issues as a municipal administration, it means that we will make ourselves heard.”
What role do you envisage for the municipalities?
“We need a new method based on discussion, dialogue, and participation. These aspects have been lacking in recent years. The role of the municipalities has been reduced to zero. They need to be re-established, with powers and resources to bring them closer to the citizens.”
You have also indicated security as one of your priorities.
“Security is a right, just like the right to work and the right to health. It must not be a slogan, as it has been in recent years due to the way it has been managed by the municipal administration and the government. There has been a lot of propaganda and few concrete answers. We need more law enforcement on the ground, and urban regeneration policies, together with social policies, are fundamental.”
The conflict at La Fenice, following the decision to appoint Beatrice Venezi as musical director, has been dragging on for months. How can it be resolved?
“First of all, company benefits for workers should be restored. Blocking them was wrong, a retaliatory act. We all know how important Teatro La Fenice is, and it seems to me that the method adopted for choosing the director was wrong, and that it has produced a stalemate that is not good for either Venice or La Fenice.”
There have been two criticisms against you from the center-right so far: that Martella is from Portogruaro and that the name was chosen by Rome.
“It seems to me that they are the ones involved in the talks in Rome, while my candidacy was discussed locally. I challenge anyone to say that there was a center-left meeting in Rome. And yes, I am originally from Portogruaro and I was a local administrator there, but I have been living in Mestre for years and my political activity has focused on issues concerning the city. Someone said that being born in Venice is a privilege, but that becoming a Venetian is instead a commitment: let me just say that I have been committed to this for years. I would like to add one thing: I will never make personal attacks on my opponents: I will always focus on political issues.”
There is a broad coalition supporting you, but at the moment Marco Gasparinetti’s Terra e Acqua list is not included.
“Gasparinetti has done a great job in the opposition. I hope we can find common ground on policy, and I hope the conditions are right for him to be part of this alliance.” —
Source: La Nuova di Venezia e Mestre
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