That Sinking Feeling: See The Landmarks Of Venice Before It’s Too Late!
Venice is famous for many things. Not only is it a prosperous Gothic seaside city by the gorgeous Adriatic sea, which would be enough to ensure tourism revenue for many towns. It is also a city famed for its networks of canals, for its masked festivals, for the complex arrangement of dams that protects it, and for the beautiful bridges its residents use to get around the city.
Rialto Bridge, Venice, Italy / Photo by admin
According to a recent report, though, a combination of subsidence, tilting and sea levels rising mean that this unique cultural and architectural artefact is sinking more quickly than we thought – five times quicker, in fact!
So it could be time to make the most of Venice before it becomes a semi-mythical lost city…taking in sights such as…
The Rialto Bridge
The Rialto Bridge is truly astounding. An unwieldy geometric arc, it looks as though it should sink beneath its own weight. The whole place is full of local produce such as leather goods and authentic Venetian masks.
Perhaps strangely, though, this striking and beautiful landmark, unique though it is, is primarily used by tourists as a place to look out across the rest of Venice.
I would suggest going against the crowd, and trying to get a spot a little further so you can really appreciate this architectural marvel.
St. Mark’s Place
The lowest point in Venice, and thus also the most threatened by rising water levels, the stunning mish-mash of gaudily ornate baroque styles on show in St. Mark’s Place truly takes the breath away.
Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy / Photo by admin
Whether looked at en masse or as individual works of art, these places would make a dream find for anyone browsing the upper end of online estate agents UK citizens have access to. Of course, in reality, they are almost beyond price.
Climbing to the top of the Campanile, one becomes dizzily aware of the pressure the building is placing on the ground below it, and of the water steadily undermining and flooding the square, simultaneously. It’s an incredible experience, and the precarious balancing of all these huge and intricate buildings is a testament (albeit temporary) to human ingenuity and skill.
Murano & Burano
The “islands” of Murano and Burano sit in the Venetian Lagoon.
More accurately, they are two series of islands linked together by bridges and wishful thinking, and both are well worth a visit.
Murano is traditionally a place of great glassworks, and glass shaped there still commands a good price. Although it boasts its fair share of colourful houses as well, it is nothing compared to Burano, which has highly regimented and detailed plans explaining exactly which houses can be which colours.
Both retain their individuality by keeping in touch with their pasts, but like Venice, these island chains are under threat from rising sea levels.
Ultimately, Venice’s charm lies in part in the fact that its expensive and awe-inspiring architecture, history and culture is only here for the short term.
Whether it’s an entire city centre built on unstable ground, the enormous Rialto Bridge, or the stunning islands of Murano and Burano, the fact that the whole area appears to be sinking makes the experience of touring the area especially touching.
My advice is to visit while you can!
Louise Blake writes blog posts for eMoov, an online estate agent service. She is most interested in architecture, great cities and historical landmarks.
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