I don’t know about you, but when I think of the historic city of Venice, Italy, I imagine a romantic ride on a gondola through one of the city’s many canals. Famous for its historic landmarks, arts, and culture, no visit is complete without a trip to the island of Murano to watch a master glassmaker create a one-of-a-kind piece.
Gondolas for hire along the Grand Canal.A Few Facts About Venice
Reported to be over 1600 years old, this UNESCO World Heritage Site fascinates almost 30 million tourists who visit the city each year, which is part of the problem. With the environmental impact of overcrowding, the city faces challenges trying to maintain its heritage and beauty.
The city’s population has been declining steadily over recent years. In 2000, it was approximately 65,000. Today, Venice’s year-round population is reportedly around 50,000 people. The reasons for the decline include the cost of living, limited job opportunities, and the impact of tourism.
A Sinking City
Before visiting Venice, I wanted to know more. In hindsight, watching a documentary about the deterioration of this once beautiful city was not the best idea. It was all I could do not to focus on that during our visit. I saw the damage everywhere I looked, making me very sad and feeling somewhat guilty for contributing to the sinking city of Venice.
The city is built on a collection of 118 small islands in a vast lagoon, all connected by bridges. A series of wooden piles support the buildings, streets and central squares. They were driven into the muddy ground until they reached a solid layer of clay. I found this information fascinating – and a bit disturbing. Imagine the engineering minds who came up with this incredible idea! I just can’t fathom how the city still stands all these years later. Amazing!
Unfortunately, the weight of the buildings, industrialization (requiring extraction of groundwater), and natural erosion have led to the gradual sinking of the land and, with it, the entire city. Additionally, trying to protect the city from increased flooding due to global warming and rising water levels has disrupted the natural flow of water, leading to even more erosion and sinking. I won’t go on any more as I continue to find these facts more and more disturbing.
The Environmental Impact of Cruise Ships
Along with all the above, the impact of cruise ships is significant in Venice. In fact, they had to dig out the bottom of the lagoon floor to accommodate the influx of cruise ships, further risking the city’s destabilization. Not only are cruise ships causing problems in the sinking city of Venice, but they are also an issue in many cities around the world, including my home of Halifax, Nova Scotia!
Until I watched the documentary on Venice, I had absolutely no idea of the level of pollution and destruction that these huge moving hotels cause. Venice has banned large cruise ships from their waterways in an attempt to reduce the harm they cause. However, this may not be enough to mitigate the damage – not only from the ships but from the thousands of people who descend on the city at one time. The balance between the revenue generated for port cities by cruise ships and the impact on the environment will undoubtedly continue to be a huge debate. I shall let you read more about this controversial topic on your own.
On a Positive Note
Despite the somewhat depressing information I learned, our short visit to this incredible city was full of unforgettable moments. Upon arriving at our Airbnb, I was so excited that I had to open the window and look over the rooftops. And hark! The first thing I heard was a female voice singing opera. Seriously, you can’t get much more Italian than that – and the next morning, she was practicing her scales. It was one of the coolest experiences I shall ever have, I’m sure.
Our musical experience over the rooftops.As I turned my interior design eye to my surroundings, I made another fascinating observation – the construction of the windows and blinds. The blinds are outside the windows and exposed to the weather! There are heavy wooden shutters you can close to protect the blinds, but I still don’t get it. However, I find the interior aesthetic much more pleasing as a result. The wooden windows and interior beams are gorgeous. Sadly, I don’t think this particular window-covering design would work in our Canadian environment.
The primary bedroom in our Airbnb in Venice, ItalyThe other feature I found fascinating about the city of Venice was that the exteriors of the buildings were hundreds or thousands of years old, yet the renovated interiors had all the modern conveniences, infusing the character of the building into the design.
I will write more about that over the coming weeks as we explore our time in Florence, the Radda in the Chianti wine region, and the Amalfi Coast. Stay tuned!
Read more articles in the My Journey to Italy series.
Thanks for all this information, Jane. I was already aware of the damage cruises ships cause – allegedly, they dump raw sewage and their garbage into whatever ocean/sea they happen to be cruising. The months during Covid when all cruises were cancelled led me to hope that the companies wouldn’t survive and that would be the end of them. No such luck!
And I love your operatic experience! I hope it was Verdi.