Gondolas, water taxis back in business as Venice ends some lockdown regulations

The stunning lagoon city of Venice may have been open for business on Monday (May 18) but unfortunately no tourists were around to take up the offer.

Italy sped up efforts to bounce back from the new coronavirus crisis after a 10-week lockdown and Venice canals were flooded with golden light at sunrise as gondoliers and water taxis went back to work. But only a handful of people were around to see the beautiful city at its best.

Shop owners slowly reopened their businesses and residents re-enjoyed the pleasure of sipping an open-air cappuccino in the picturesque squares, usually crowded with tourists in a pre-COVID era.

Italy's lockdown measures to combat a spread of the disease has meant shops, bars and restaurants have been closed for almost two months.

The peace was only broken by some protesters staging a flash mob after they were not allowed to distribute packages of food to families in need and decided to leave the empty boxes in front of the town hall.

Monday marked a major step forward on the road to recovery for Italy, with unlimited travel allowed in individual regions, friends once again meeting up and restaurants able to serve as long as tables were at least 2 metres (6.5 ft) apart.

Almost 32,000 Italians have died of COVID-19 since the outbreak came to light on Feb. 21, the third-highest death toll in the world after the United States and Britain.