THESt Mark’s Basilica has its feet in the water. Threatened by climatic disturbances, the mythical building of Venice has suffered for many years a phenomenon called acqua alta. These catastrophic episodes result in tidal peaks, causing flooding on the famous place of the city of the Doges. The city authorities took the problem head-on by ordering the construction of a glass barrier. But, as relates International mail Thursday, December 2, the project was cut short.
Indeed, the company responsible for the works went on strike. This company was to build a barrier around the Byzantine holy place, in the historic heart of the city. Problem: the Italian state would not have paid its due. According to The Telegraph, the amount of work planned for August would amount to nearly 4 million euros of public funds. “Since September, we have been paying our workers and suppliers out of pocket. We cannot proceed in this way, ”Devis Rizzo, president of one of the two companies concerned, told La Repubblica.
Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
The work on Saint Mark’s Basilica, one of the architectural treasures of La Grande Botte, is all the more urgent as the monument was the victim of violent floods in 2019. An exceptional tide, the second highest acqua alta recorded in Venice since 1923, peaked at over 1.80 m. Barrier and other dyke projects were indeed launched almost 20 years ago, but their execution has been hampered by additional costs, delays and corruption scandals.
Saint Mark’s Basilica, visited by millions of tourists each year, has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. Between the rising waters and the intensive use of cruise ships, Venice is always sinking a little deeper. every flood. In addition to the mythical cathedral, the other buildings of the lagoon are in danger as the sea level has risen by 35 cm in a century.
