Shannon Fleming

Cultural Project
16 April 16, 2013
Venice Canals
Drifting through the water, captivated by the beautiful city appearing before the
awed eyes of the people who travel the world to experience the remarkable culture that is
Venice, the gondolas continue to drift through the exceptional canals. The remarkable city
has a long history that made Venice evolve into the city it is to this day. Its unique culture
has made Venice a well known destination. Many people cherish this city, but Venice is
sinking. This treasured city may become a city that remains in the past.
Venice is near the Italian cities of Verona and Trieste, but is not outshined for its
beauty is highly respected throughout the world (Lusted, 20). Also known as the Queen
of the Adriatic, Venice is positioned on the northern section of the Adriatic Sea and near
the Mediterranean Sea. It lies between the Italian and Balkan peninsulas (Bayrd).
Venice has many distinct characteristics that set it apart from other areas of the
world. Unlike most cities, Venice consists of a string of 118 small islands surrounding a
lagoon on which a city was built over a thousand years ago (Lusted, 20). In these modern
times, most means of travel are accomplished using roads. However, the islands of Venice
are connected by a series of saltwater canals that act as the main passageway of
transportation (Lusted, 20). The Grand Canal is the main canal, hence its name, and it is
an S-shaped curve (Lesnick). As for the smaller canals, they are called rii and connected
by over 400 bridges (Lesnick). Interestingly, the canals not only are Venetians form of

transportation, but act as a drain for sewage as the tides washes waste into the lagoon
(Lusted, 20).
Venice may be known worldwide for its canals by which people travel through the
city, but that wasnt always the case. Originally, a group of barbarians known as the Attila
the Hun led Italians forces and found a section of islands after the fall of the Romans in
452 A.D. (Bayrd). These people were avid fishers, and they set up huts along the lagoon
(Ferraro, 2). In later centuries, the settlers of Venice dug more than 100 canals in order to
combine the islands into one united city. The access to the sea allowed Venice to grow by
using shipyards and vessels in the Adriatic and Mediterranean Seas (Bayrd). Shipping
was an essential part of the survival of Venice because most food was shipped into the
city. Venetian men and women grew small amounts of food, but not nearly enough to live
off. The main local food source for Venice was fish and is still a major component of
Venetian food (Ferraro, 9-10).
Over time, Venice continued to grow into the city that it known to this day. Venice
was a large factor of west-eastern commerce, and in 1275, a Venetian named Marco Polo
founded a trade route from Europe and the Far East (Lesnick). After finding this route,
Venetian people became richer than many important Europeans, and the city itself
became the chief power of the Mediterranean during the Renaissance. These powers and
riches allowed Venice to be transformed into the marvelous architecturally beautiful city
by using those riches to higher architects to construct Venices intricate buildings (Bayrd).
Venice also was increasing in birth rate, economics, and soil fertility. That was
until Venice fell in trade, and the effects of the Black Death spreading through Europe

caused a fall in population (Ferraro, 19). The fall of Venetian trade was due to the
Mediterranean losing its title as the main trade route (Bayrd).
Along with trade, Venice was also having issues of Austrians taking over Venice.
Venetians fought this rule and were eventually able to break free. This allowed Venice to
join the United Kingdom of Italy in 1866. This gave Venice a political stability that
would carry on during later years. In 1927, Venices political boundaries were expanded,
adding the mainland around the islands and lagoon as part of the city (Lesnick).
Not only did the economic and political components of Venice change over the
years, but the construction of the city evolved drastically throughout time. As the canals
were being built, the construction workers drained and raised the ground. They used mud,
gravel, and sometimes even trash to build the city on higher ground (Ferraro, 5). Once the
city was built, the positions of landfills around the city and the natural tides of the sea
flowing in the canals firmed Venices borders into an exceptionally irregular shape (6).
Along with the unique shape, the architecture had interesting ties to not only Renaissance
backgrounds, but African and Southwest Asian in addition that fabricate Venices visual
appeal (28).
Getting from one destination to another in Venice was altered during the years.
Originally, when people would travel on foot they would walk on paths created from
years of previous people walking through the city. It got to a point that these paths from
maze like routes leading to popular destinations in the city. The only problem was the
Venetians couldnt walk directly from one island to another without catching a ride from
a boat. Eventually, they set up boards for wooden bridges that later were built better and
remain there in present day (Ferraro, 9).

Even though Venice has an amazing culture that is important to many

people, it doesnt mean the city is going to last. Venice has always dealt with issues of
flooding, otherwise known as acqua alta, but the severity and frequency increased
drastically after 1960 (Lusted, 21). In the early 1900s, floods would occur annually an
average of seven times. By 1960, the floods could happen around 50 times a year. But it
took the infamous flood of 1966 for the rest of the world to notice the serious danger
Venice was in (22).
The flood on November 1966 literally took Venice by storm. Pouring rain and
extremely high tides resulted in the worst flood Venice has ever experienced still to this
day. The water rose 6 feet above the normal level causing the whole city to become
completely flooded. Soon the entire world had heard what had happened (22). Having
been accustomed to floods, Venice had buildings made in preparation for floods.
However, the constructors of those buildings had never prepared for floods of this degree,
and as a result, the damages were detrimental. Salt water leaked into the buildings
making the walls crumble and polluted water wrecked foundations (22-23). After hearing
about the horrible flood, organizations from various nations across the world came to
help Venice restore the ruined buildings, but that would only help until the next flood
came around. Venice needed a long term solution for the flooding problem (23).
The city continued to look for a solution for the flooding problem, but
surprisingly, the problem wasn't necessarily a natural accident. Over a period of 30 years,
groundwater was pumped from beneath Venice, lowering the land, deeper canals were
dug increasing tide speed, and the worst of all is that global warming could very well be

the reasoning for the rising sea level. So, instead of the floods being the cause of Venice
slowly sinking, they were a side effect of man-made issues (21).
In effort to save Venice, an organization called UNESCO was optioned in 1987,
but was stopped due to ground water extractions (Lesnick). Later a system called MOSE
was introduced, and it is a series of hollow gates that fill with water at the bottom of the
lagoon on normal occasions. As for situations of acqua alta, the gates would be pumped
with air and rise to form barriers to protect the city. This system was predicted to take 8
years and cost 4 billion dollars (Lusted, 23).
In current time, MOSE is in the process of being installed with an expected
completion date of 2014-2015. Meanwhile, the pollution issues have decreased (Bayrd).
Although, some of the surfaces on statues in the city can rub off on contact and the
islands have almost sunk to water level from dredging through the harbor and the usage
of groundwater. Visitors in Venice even have to wear wading boots to travel around
Venice almost 100 days of the year (Bayrd). If that isn't bad enough, the terrible floods
haven't settled down at all.
On Sunday, November 11th, 2012, tourists and city people were fashioning plastic
bags as shoes in St. Mark's Square when the sea water rose 1.49 meters or 5 feet above
normal level along with bad weather. This was the sixth highest since 1872, it flooded 70
percent of the city high enough for wood platforms to raise and make pedestrians float
away. This convinced many people to leave the city to live in the mainland. One person
even complained that the city events had not been canceled, so while Venetians were
trying to fix their belongings, others were splashing through the flooded streets. The city
assessor of public works, defended Venice by saying the high water was "exceptional and

unpredictable". The assessor also talked about how the Moses system, still being built
that was due to be finished in 2015, could've helped. A shop owner discussed how her
shop floods 100 days a year compared to 10 years ago when it flooded 30 to 40 days a
year. Though she said, "I was born and raised here and will stay here for the satisfaction
of being in Venice" (Guardian).
With so many problems, Venice's population has been sinking along with the city.
In addition to the previously mentioned issues, Venice has a lack of jobs, outdated
housing, and high rents. Since 2009, Venice's population is 60,000 instead of the 78,000
in 1990 and 145,000 in 1960. Now more than three fourths of the original 270,000 people
of Venice live on the mainland rather than the center islands that started the city (Bayrd).
A large fraction of the people living in the center are elderly, and it's estimated that by
2030 there may not be anymore full-time native Venetians left (The Telegraph). Also, the
economy of Venice is consumed by tourism. Only a small percent of the economy is from
production. Shipyards, petroleum refineries, and chemical and metallurgical industries
are examples of that (Lesnick).
People like to visit Venice due to it changing very little culturally in the past 700
years since Marco Polo's time other than having a railroad bridge, motorized boats, and
water buses. The gondolas and buildings are authentic to historic Venice (Bayrd). On the
other hand, there are so many tourists that the actual residents feel they are become an
"endangered species" due to 20 million tourists a year and nearly 55,000 a day (almost
equal to the entire population) taking from the life and culture of Venice that they come to
see. Venetians are leaving because they feel staying is become troublesome. The
buildings are turning into the hotels for visitors to stay in and the only source of a job. It

doesn't help that the trips are consumer friendly budget wise, and the people running
Venice haven't tried to divert the economy to things other than tourism (The Telegraph).
Tourism isn't a terrible thing. People should travel the world and experience other
cultures. It is an important aspect of a person's life. The problem is that if a city has too
much focus on tourism, it can eradicate that very culture that is trying to be celebrated. As
if the threat of the sea isn't enough of an indication that Venice is at risk of being
eliminated, mass amounts of foreigners are washing away the people of Venice on their
own. If Venice is to strive on, something has to change.
Some Venetians had talked to a reporter about what they believed needed to
change in order for Venice to last. Some of the ideas they said were; "We have to create a
Venice that residents will want to stay in. We want this to be a rebirth.", "We need to
attract colleges and universities, government departments and maybe a United Nations
organization like UNESCO. We could become the Brussels of the south, or declare
ourselves a free port.", "If Venetians will not, or cannot, stay in the city, then foreigners
should be enticed to move in, but permanently, not just flitting in to stay for a few days
like the 15,000 people who own holiday apartments.", "I would like to send an invitation
to the world come and live in Venice.", "It doesn't matter if you are British or American
if you love Venice, that makes you a Venetian. The death of Venice is not just a problem
for Italy; it's a problem for the whole world" (The Telegraph).
The world and Venetians need to figure out some sort of plan to fix this
population downfall. The water isn't as much of an issue now that MOSE is being put in
place. Hopefully more people like the one that had spoken those wise words come to a
solution that can save this extraordinary city from drowning in its own unstable economy.