UNESCO says Italy not doing enough to protect Venice.

Venice is at risk of "irreversible damage" from climate change and mass tourism, according to UNESCO which wants to declare the Italian city an endangered world heritage site.

Venice is among the more than 1,000 UNESCO World Heritage Sites however it now faces being added to the UN cultural body's list of world heritage sites in danger, reports La Repubblica newspaper.

Blaming Italian authorities for a "lack of strategic vision", UNESCO noted that corrective measures proposed by Italy are "currently insufficient and not detailed enough." 

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Venice, which has been a World Heritage Site since 1987, avoided being added to the UNESCO blacklist in 2021 after Italy adopted several measures, notably the banning of large cruise ships.

UNESCO experts will convene in September in Riyadh where they will review around 200 heritage sites and decide which ones to add to the endangered list.

Venice authorities say they will discuss the UNESCO report with the Italian government.