Panoramic rooms on top of the mountains, Veneto votes (amid controversy)

The Veneto Regional Council will vote on the creation of panoramic rooms above 1600 meters high:172 could be born, but the decision is widely contested, from an environmental point of view and beyond:"The peaks cannot be reduced to places of luxury tourism"

(The cover photo is taken from the site starlightroom.it of Cortina)

VENICE – They are called “panoramic rooms” and they are the new frontier of tourism in Veneto.They are, as they were defined-presented at the launch of the proposal which dates back to the beginning of 2023, “sglass and wood or other material, even innovative, eco-sustainable or in any case low impact, permanently placed on the ground, characterized by a high ratio between window surface and floor surface".Where are they?They are expected over 1,600 meters high.

AT ALTITUDE BETWEEN MOUNTAINS AND STARS

The position at the top allows the tourist "to observe in a particularly broad way both the landscape surrounding, and the movement of stars in the sky“.Some structures of this type, in truth, already exist.Such as the structure Cortina Starlightroom, which offers super-panoramic accommodation, at an altitude of 2000 metres, with a view of the Dolomites. It has been calculated that there could be up to 172 panoramic rooms in Veneto.This will be decided by the Regional Council where the law establishing them will be discussed.Meanwhile, in Veneto there are 86 municipalities with territories above 1,600 metres:56 in Belluno, 18 in Vicenza, nine in Verona and three in Treviso.

TWO BEDS PER STRUCTURE

The Democratic Party defined them as “hotels at high altitude“, the Region said that this is not the case at all.The CAI said it was not at all enthusiastic about the idea, like the Greens.At the end of last October, the Council of Local Authorities (Cal) of Veneto gave its approval with only one abstention:within the same municipal territory, no more than two structures of this type can be built with eco-sustainability or low impact criteria, and a maximum of two beds for each structure (initially there were eight then the number was reduced).Until the end, however, the opposition tried to stop the novelty.

1,000 'NO' IN THE PETITION, "SAFEGUARD MOUNTAINS"

Five days after launch, the online petition against panoramic rooms has exceeded 1,000 signatures.“I will present myself to the Council with the signatures collected and I will reiterate that this law and that of off-road vehicles in the high mountains must not be approved. The mountains must be protected and not exploited authorizing exceptions to the laws that protect them", says Andrea Zanoni, regional councilor of the Democratic Party.

The Region, continues the dem councilor, “wants to approve these measures which will damage our mountains and the environment.Panoramic hotels can be built above the limit of 1,600 meters in derogation of the regulations in force for a maximum of two in each municipality.While the permits granted to hunters to use off-road vehicles in the high mountains will even be free, differently from what is provided for other subjects.To allow citizens to make their voices heard and declare their opposition to the laws against the mountains, last Wednesday afternoon I launched an online signature collection which quickly exceeded 1,000 signatures.Even many Venetians do not agree with these regional laws."And Zanoni also assures that “regardless of the outcome of tomorrow's vote I will continue to collect signatures in view of the discussion of the law on off-road vehicles.These measures must be stopped”.

GREEN VENETO:“NO TO SUMMIT SAFARI”

“Treating our mountains as if they were museums for the elite or safaris is a temptation that this regional council is taking to new heights”.This is what Cristina Guarda, regional councilor of Green Europe, declared on the eve of the discussion in the chamber on the so-called panoramic rooms.A proposal, he says, that “risks generating a vulnus for the mountain heritage of our region, because reduces our peaks to places of luxury tourism, accessible for a selfie or an aperitif at high altitude.The consequences of this philosophy, according to which everything can be transformed into tourism, does not honor the natural and historical heritage that our hills give us".

On this measure, he recalls, “there was no shortage of critical opinions during the hearings in the commission.If we take into consideration the province of Belluno, for example, the ongoing depopulation cannot be remedied by the effect that would arise from the presence of tourists with whom to fill boxes with a view.Our mountains - underlines Guarda - deserve something more than glass and wooden boxes.Believing that the sustainability of these showcases on the void is simply given by the material with which they will be built unmasks, for the umpteenth time, the simplistic vision of Giunta Zaia on environmental issues.Strengthening the public transport service in our mountains, for example, is absolutely not part of the political agenda of Veneto;what matters is only seeing more tourists arrive, perhaps by car."