An earthquake destroying Amatrice is one thing. No one can do anything about an act of nature.
But Venice dying because of tourism can be stopped! I only hope it happens before it is too late. And, my 2 Cents?: Florence is also being destroyed by the 10,000,000 (true number) of visitors per year.
get back, lauretta! 
I thought about this a lot while living as an expat in Thailand. Southeast Asia is increasingly becoming the hip new place for backpackers and vacationers alike to travel to. Thailand, in particular, is becoming a hub for that tourism. While tourism can bolster an economy increasingly, there is also that destructive nature to local cultures, communities, and environments. The capital city of the province I lived in actually rejected a proposal for for a large temple complex in its city limits to become a UNESCO World Heritage site for these reasons–and I honestly think it’s all the better off for doing that.
This is so interesting to be to read about Venice. I never thought that an economy could become so overpowered by tourism that it would start to crumble from within BECAUSE of it. Wow, how scary! Thanks for sharing this. Traveling can be fruitful and wonderful and life changing–but, in this day and age, it is SO important that we travel consciously, with an understanding that a travelers presence ALWAYS affects the local community, sometimes positively and, sometimes, quite negatively.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment. I am happy to hear that someplace on earth has opted not to sell its soul to the devil! I’ve been traveling to Italy almost all of my adult life and was lucky enough to live there last year for almost 6 months. I was so disheartened by the crowds in Florence. The upside is that more and more formerly closed archives, museums and sections of museums are now open to accommodate the never-ending appetite for novelty (i.e. the Vasari Corridor), but the downside is that Florence feels more like Epcot Center than Italy. Anyhoo, thanks for sharing!