Venice declares war on noisy suitcases

ROME: Famed for the serene silence of its timeless nooks and crannies, Venice is about to get even quieter ... by banning noisy suitcases on wheels.

Residents of Italy's floating city have had up it to here with the round-the-clock rumble of luggage being dragged across cobblestoned alleyways and bridges by a large proportion of the 27 million visitors who flock there every year.