Venice: The Technological Challenge Through the Ages

Venice is one of the world’s most extraordinary cities, but its existence has always been precarious—now more than ever, as Laurence Thiriat’s documentary shows. The film begins by discussing its founding some fifteen centuries ago by settlers who chose the inhospitable site—a lagoon to the north of the Adriatic Sea—because it would provide a safe haven from invaders. It then introduces the first in a parade of experts—architect Giorgio Gianighian, who describes how what was basically a swamp was made habitable through the use of wooden poles to demarcate islands and irrigation canals to siphon off the water from them. But while Venice survived and flourished in the Middle and the Renaissance, modernity poses added dangers. Thiriat devotes short sections to each and describes the efforts being made to confront them. He begins with the saltwater of the Adriatic, which is pushed into the lagoon by Sirocco winds, resulting in serious flooding at high tide that undermines the brick buildings; to combat the rising waters—made more damaging by climate change—RAMSES, a 3D laser model of the lagoon, has been fashioned to analyze water levels, and a battery of mobile dams called MOSE is being constructed for installation at the mouths of the lagoon.  Legislation has been passed to prevent huge cruise ships that displace tons of water from entering the harbor, and heavy motorboat traffic in the canals is also being discouraged since the waves contribute to the weakening of building foundations. But other threats are equally pernicious. Structural engineers track deterioration in structures like St. Mark’s Cathedral, which sits at the island’s lowest point, and chemists seek compounds to make the necessary repairs watertight. In order to maintain ecological stability biologists study parasites and bacteria that endanger not only the ancient wooden stilts but the foliage in the lagoon—while others try to restore the sandbanks to minimize erosion. The effect of industrial pollution carried southward by rivers is an additional factor to be confronted. And while tourism is a substantial source of income, the ever-increasing number of visitors strains the city’s ability to cope. Crisply shot by cinematographer Christophe Trarieux, Venice conveys both the uniqueness of this remarkable city, so important in historical and artistic terms, and the physical threats it must contend with. The narration is in English, though many of the interviews are in Italian with subtitles. Recommended. Aud: P, J, H. (F. Swietek)