Venice to limit tourist group size to 25 to protect historic city

Move aims to reduce pressure of thousands of daily visitors to Italian city and protect residents

Venice is to limit the size of tourist groups in an attempt to reduce the pressure of thousands of visitors crowding its squares, bridges and narrow walkways each day.

From June, groups visiting the Italian canal city will be limited to 25 people, or roughly half the capacity of a tourist bus, the city announced this weekend. The use of loudspeakers, popular among tour groups but which can generate confusion and disturbances", will be banned in the city and on nearby islands, officials said in a statement.