So many foolish comments here. Willful ignorance? The city was founded around the 5th century. Lots of landlocked ancient cities are deep underground today. Venice floods in November. It’s a beautiful city and even if it’s decaying or sinking it’s not going anywhere for hundreds more years. It usually floods in select areas for an hour or so.
The mayors dramatize to get aid. This summer, I read statements that Italy’s Cinque Terre towns had been literally destroyed by storms and mudslides. A few months later I met travelers who went there and everything was beautiful.
Great post!
I visited Rome, not Venice.
However, as I noted, 2,000 years ago, Christ noted that building on sand was exceedingly unwise.
Seems to me, ignoring such common sense, is willful ignorance.
The Moses project sounds like it has been rife with greed, corruption, delays, and maybe even poor design. At least they took many such politicos & officials to court. I don’t know how much of that might be willful ignorance but it doesn’t sound the least bit exemplary.
A lot of art around the world & particularly in Italy seems to be very associated with elitism, egotistical narcissism, etc. I don’t know how much all that helps the peasants—except for something somewhat beautiful to look at.
I’m just of the opinion that sufficient money must have been findable in the years since the hazards were more fully realized. Yet an emphatically effective solution doesn’t even appear on the horizon—particularly if the Moses project design is as flawed as some assert.
Reportedly the sewer laden canals have been somewhat cleaned up? I hope so.
I’m curious. Would 15% of the tourist money over 50 years have been sufficient for a comprehensive & emphatically effective solution? I’d hope so.
I’m not impressed by the idea that devastating flooding only lasts however many hours or days. Have you had to clean up after a flood? No fun.
This is 2019. These problems did not just suddenly appear. And a successful solution still seems out of reach. I’m just not impressed.
Maybe they could have swallowed some pride and hired Holland to fix their problem.
If all that art and beautiful historic buildings are THAT wonderful & priceless—why subject them so relentlessly for so many decades & centuries to such hazard & increasingly sinking destruction.
We live in an era when incredible construction strategies & technologies can do almost miraculous things. Doesn’t sound like Venice has any clue of such options.
I think the criticism of the Moses project gates is reasonable. Seems very logical to me that in almost any up position—during a vigorous storm, the gates would likely be mostly useless to very breakable. How did such a design get passed? Willful ignorance?
Not my city. Not my country. Not my expertise. I’m just routinely disgusted with ignorance & malpractice in political leadership positions regardless of where it occurs.
Undoubtedly, part of its charm is its ghostly underwater steps and doors, etc. What a fascinating city! As you say, this is just heavier than usual. They’ll survive.