The flooding city of Venice has plenty of water, or so you would think.
View from Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, November 2017
Parts of the city are flooded each year, including St Mark’s Square, but whilst they are sitting under water, about 90% of the land remains above.
However, the Alta Aqua (high water) now happens more frequently and more dramatically. Possibly more worryingly, the city also suffers from a lack of water. The low tides that now occur cause the wooden foundations of buildings to be exposed to the air, resulting in rotting.
Much of this is caused by changed management of the lagoon and waterways. Reclaiming of land, an increase in motorised transport (including massive cruise ships), and digging of trenches to make the lagoon deep enough to take large ships, have resulted in faster incoming tides and greater wash.
Global warming is taking its toll too. A recent study by the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA) predicts a 140cm level rise in the Mediterranean by 2100, resulting in the swamping of Venice and a large stretch of the northern Adriatic coast. Let us hope this is wrong, and that we are able to make enough changes to our environmental impact to prevent these losses.
For more on the battle to remove the cruise ships, see a post I wrote a few years ago but have updated a couple of times.
Copyright Debbie Smyth, 2 January 2018
Posted as part of Cee’s B&W Challenge
Travel with Intent 
Superb snaps of Venice these are, Debbie. And thanks for little diving into history as well 🙂
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Thanks Hammad
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Starting 2018 with a huge list of things that need ‘fixing’, Debs. This is right up there. However did they get away with it in the first place? So much harder to stop it once it’s happening.
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I couldn’t believe it when I first saw these ships sailing through! And yes, very hard to stop. I think it will take more than me eating Veneziana pizzas at Pizza Express and having a portion of th price donated to Venice in Peril.
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Reblogged this on bushboys world and commented:
I don’t often Reblog posts. This is something that really does concern me. I have enjoyed the life in Venice three times over the past years. I have met people and found Venice to be somewhat close to my heart. Debbie has a wonderful series of photos and also talks from the heart.
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Thanks for the reblog. The more people are aware, the more chance change will happen.
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I too want those huge ships sent off shore. My beloved Venice has taken it’s toll in the waters that make the city and also take from the world a city that is a wonder to behold. Thanks Debbie for bringing this issue to the front of peoples minds. ❤ ❤
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Oh, I do hope those Cruise Ships are banned……
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Debbie, what a cool collection of water for this week. 😀
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Thanks for the post. Amazing pics.
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Really hope your photographs don’t become a memory of what once was, and that they do find a way to protect what is there.
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Let’s hope. Plenty are fighting for changes in Venice, and laws are occasionally passed. But then repealed! There ae now promises of improvement over the next 4 years.
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Fingers crossed those promises do become actions
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