A mock funeral procession has been held in Venice to draw attention to the city's dwindling population.

The population in the historic city in northeastern Italy recently fell below 60,000, the event's organizers said on Saturday during the symbolic funeral procession, which hundreds of citizens attended.

A cortege of gondolas carrying empty coffins, decorated with wreaths, crossed the city to the sound of songs and poems in the Venetian dialect, AFP reported.

"In Venice, houses cost twice as much as they do on the mainland, and it's too much for the middle class," Pierluigi Tamburrini, of the Venessia.com citizens' group, told AFP.

"We are asking for more action from the city authorities to help residents. We don't want the tourist monoculture we have at the moment -- we have to develop other areas," he said.

FTP/SS/HGL