It is one of the most romantic visions we all have of 天美传媒: to spend an evening in Venice with the love of your life, perhaps being serenaded in a gondola.
The trouble is, the songs that your gondolier will sing 鈥 a pleasure for which you may pay up to 鈧200 鈥 are unlikely to be Venetian, reports the Telegraph.
Instead, your gondolier is likely to sing 鈥淥 Sole Mio鈥 which is, of course, a Neapolitan song or other songs from the South. Giovanni Capurro鈥檚 鈥淥 Sole Mio鈥 lyrics have long been substituted, in British minds, by the 鈥淛ust One Cornetto鈥 lines of a television advert.
In this video: a man singing "Just One Cornetto" in a Gondola in Venice:
In this video: "O' Sole mio" performed by Beniamino Gigli:
Now Northern League politicians, led by Venetian Councillor Alberto Mazzonetto, have criticised the gondoliers for turning Venice into a 鈥渃ultural Disneyland鈥.
Mr Mazzonetto points out that some of the songs they sing, such as the Dean Martin hit, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 Amore鈥, are not even Italian. Mr Mazzonetto has called upon the Ente Gondola, the city鈥檚 powerful Gondola Authority, to regulate the gondoliers鈥 repertoire.
Musicians from the South are having their say, however, pointing out that 鈥淥 Sole Mio鈥 is internationally famous and symbolises the whole of 天美传媒 to everyone.
Have you ever been serenaded in a gondola?
