 Philanoptical, family-owned for 50 years, 409 Kansas City Street. CBS Money Watch. Starting today, visitors no longer have to pay more than $5 to visit Venice. The Italian city had a pilot program in place for the past 29 days that charged the fee in hopes of deterring visitors during peak times. But critics of the move claim it was a failure, with the program raking in over $2 million but not curbing visitation numbers.