I love Italy; the land, the food, the wine but most of all the people. Of all the cities that I have visited in Italy my favorite is Venice. To me, Venice is the greatest city to be lost in, especially on a rainy day. I should state up front that I am of Italian decent and being an Italian American is something of which I am extremely proud. Maybe that influences my feelings but then I am writing about my feelings. Let me now make my case in words and images of why I love this city.
Venice is sinking. You do not need to have a scientific mind to tell you this, leave it up to your ankles, your wet ankles. When you are walking in the beautiful Saint Mark's Square and you find yourself splashing like Gene Kelly in 'Singing in The Rain', you know Venice is sinking. The larger problem is that it maybe sinking faster than has been thought.
Venice is sinking and sinking at a rate of up to two millimeters per year (0.08 inches).
There’s more. Not only is the city being reclaimed by the waters that made it famous, it now looks like it’s actually heading out to sea, as if the glorious capital of the former Maritime Venetian Republic is tired of being a tourist attraction and wants to die in the Adriatic.
According to measurements taken over 10 years, Venice is also tilting a bit, about a millimeter or two eastward per year. While this doesn’t mean that you should buy a ticket right away in order to see Venice before it disappears, it raises concern that not enough is being done to save it.
A complex system of moving dams around Venice that took decades and millions of dollars to build is nearing completion. Hopefully this will help stop the sinking. The future will be the judge.
