The Floating City?

This city truly defies human imagination. The floating city of Venice, Italy, is without a doubt one of those places you must visit. It has lavish buildings, such as Saint Mark’s Basilica, as well as 118 islands connected by more than 400 bridges surrounded by about 150 canals. You can also take an inspiring gondola ride through the canals of this romantic place.

History

Venice is located in the north of Italy, on the Adriatic Sea, and has a rich history. Probably one of the most common words in 2020 was “quarantine,” and it was in Venice where this word was used for the first time. In the 14th century, preventing the Black Death plague required new precautions.

Given its origins as a center of trade, large ships from various parts of the world came to Venice to market their products. And so Venice had to prevent disease outbreaks by putting them through a quarantena (“forty days”) before travelers could disembark.

Questions

While visiting Venice, you are probably going to ask yourself two questions:

• Why did they come to live on these islands?
• How could they build a whole city on swampy islands in the middle of the sea?

The answer to the first question is that the inhabitants of Veneto, a city on the mainland, found these marshy islands to be an excellent outpost to watch for approaching enemies. The Lombards, for example, invaded from the north and conquered the region during the late 6th century BCE. This strategic location allowed Veneto/Venice to form an independent republic that lasted from 697 to 1797. It was known as La Serenissima (“Most Serene”).

After losing a battle to the French army under Napoleon Bonaparte, Venice was traded back and forth between France and Austria for several decades. It wasn’t until 1866 that Venice became part of Italy.

How Venice Was Built

Now let’s figure out how Venice was built. For some reason (perhaps to preserve the magic?) not many people know that the city actually rests on millions of tree trunks. Can you imagine that?

The original inhabitants of Venice created an ingenious way to build. Since the swampy land was not able to support the weight of the buildings, they sank. So the Venetians devised a technique where they drove long wooden logs deep into the solid clay underneath the water. These pilings formed a strong base that now supports the weight of an entire city. The logs do not rot or decay, because the airless, muddy soil protects them. In fact, over time they have turned into stone! That is why the city has been standing since 421 CE.

Floating and Sinking

So it is probably correct to say that Venice is a floating city, but also that it is a city on trees. Unfortunately, in the last decades another nickname has been given to Venice: the sinking city. Scientists have found that Venice sinks one to two millimeters every year. Several factors contribute to this situation:

• the weight of the buildings 
• groundwater pumping
• plate tectonics
• flooding
• rising sea levels due to climate change

Venice was built from a swamp, became a key point for trade, and then developed into one of the most powerful cities in Europe. It’s incredible to think that it now struggles to survive. It faces dangers not only from natural events, but also because it depends exclusively on tourism for its economy. So when you visit Venice and sit down to eat a tiramisu, you will probably understand why it costs so much!

Photo Credit: Hans del Cid

Have a suggestion for this story? We’d love for you to submit it!