A tourist headbutted one of Venice’s gondoliers in a fight reportedly sparked by a selfie.

The incident took place on Venice’s Bareteri Bridge, which crosses one of the city’s canals.

A video of the scuffle shared online shows a male tourist squaring up to the gondolier, shoving him and even knocking his straw hat off.

He then headbutts him and punches the gondolier in the face.

A woman, who was part of the tourist group, is then heard shouting in Spanish to the gondolier: “Don’t touch him!” to which the gondolier replies: “I’m not touching him.”

The tourist later says: “I’m going to punch you so hard I’ll take your head off.”

According to local newspaper La Nuova di Venezia, the gondolier found the family sitting in a boat taking selfies. The fight broke out when he asked them to leave, it said.

Tourists filming the video from across the canal are heard shouting: “Stop it!”

The altercation goes on for almost a minute and a half.

Venice cruise ship crash – in photos Show all 15 1 /15 Venice cruise ship crash – in photos Venice cruise ship crash – in photos The damaged River Countess tourist boat is pictured after it was hit by the MSC Opera cruise ship that lost control as it was coming in to dock in Venice, Italy AFP/Getty Venice cruise ship crash – in photos MSC cruise ship losing control Reuters Venice cruise ship crash – in photos Tourists on land could be seen running away as the MSC Opera scraped along the dockside, its engine blaring, before knocking into the River Countess tourist boat Reuters Venice cruise ship crash – in photos MSC Opera before crashing Robert Lauretti via Reuters Venice cruise ship crash – in photos Italian Coast Guard officers inspect the tourist boat that was struck AP Venice cruise ship crash – in photos Italian media reported that at least five people have been injured in the crash AP Venice cruise ship crash – in photos The MSC cruise ship Opera is seen after the collision with a tourist boat, in Venice, Italy, Sunday, June 2, 2019. The towering, out-of-control cruise ship rammed into a dock and a tourist river boat on a busy Venice canal on Sunday morning. Italian media reported that at least five people were injured in the crash. The collision happened about 8:30 a.m. on the Giudecca Canal, a major thoroughfare that leads to Saint Mark's Square in the northeastern Italian city. (Andrea Merola/ANSA via AP) Andrea Merola ANSA via AP Venice cruise ship crash – in photos Members of Venice's "No Big Ships" Committee (No Grandi Navi) gathered to stage a protest after the crash AFP/Getty Venice cruise ship crash – in photos The tourist river boat that was struck by a towering cruise liner, foreground bottom, is dwarfed by the MSC Magnifica cruise liner passing by, in Venice, Italy, Sunday, June 2, 2019. The MSC Opera cruise ship has struck a dock and a tourist river boat on a busy canal in Venice. Italian media report that at least five people have been injured in the crash. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) Luca Bruno AP Venice cruise ship crash – in photos A partial view of the tourist boat that was struck by a cruise line ship in Venice, Italy, Sunday, June 2, 2019. A towering, out-of-control cruise ship rammed into a dock and a tourist river boat on a busy Venice canal. Italian media reported that at least five people were injured. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) Luca Bruno AP Venice cruise ship crash – in photos MSC cruise ship loses control and crashes against a smaller tourist boat at the San Basilio dock in Venice, Italy June 2, 2019. REUTERS/Manuel Silvestri MANUEL SILVESTRI Reuters Venice cruise ship crash – in photos The tourist river boat that was struck by a towering cruise liner, left, is dwarfed by the MSC Magnifica cruise liner passing by, in Venice, Italy, Sunday, June 2, 2019. The MSC Opera cruise ship has struck a dock and a tourist river boat on a busy canal in Venice. Italian media report that at least five people have been injured in the crash. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) Luca Bruno AP Venice cruise ship crash – in photos A boat is seen after a crash with MSC Opera, at San Basilio dock in Venice, Italu June 2, 2019. REUTERS/Manuel Silvestri MANUEL SILVESTRI Reuters Venice cruise ship crash – in photos MSC cruise ship loses control and crashes against a smaller tourist boat at the San Basilio dock in Venice, Italy June 2, 2019. REUTERS/Manuel Silvestri MANUEL SILVESTRI Reuters Venice cruise ship crash – in photos A boat is seen after a crash with MSC Opera, at San Basilio dock in Venice, Italu June 2, 2019. REUTERS/Manuel Silvestri MANUEL SILVESTRI Reuters

It’s not the first case of tourists behaving badly in Venice.

The backpackers, a man and a woman in their 30s, were arrested by local police after a resident spotted them sitting on the steps using a camping stove.

City officials said the German pair from Berlin offended “the rules of public decorum and respect”.

Venice has long struggled under the weight of overtourism and is taking steps to reduce the number of visitors that land in its historic centre each year.

In August, the city announced that it would ban cruise ships from docking in central Venice, and would instead route them to terminals on outlying islands – although still within the archipelago.