It's rumoured that American journalist Robert Benchley sent a celebrated telegram to his editor at the New Yorker, upon arriving in Venice for the first time. 'Streets full of water. Please advise.'
Originally a collection of one hundred and eighteen small islands amid desolate salt marshes, Venice, rising from the sea, seems to float on the water. The city's canals, mirroring stone and sky, create a sense of fluidity and radiance. Charles Dickens in his 1846 travelogue, Pictures from Italy, describes the city as a 'strange dream upon the water'.
The splendour of shimmering reflections in the sparkling canals generates a sense of magic and mystery. But the ephemeral, dream-like beauty of Venice brings with it the negative consequences of damp and decay. Exposure of the buildings to water has caused the masonry to erode and crumble. Moto ondoso (wave movement) is a major environmental problem both in Venice and in the lagoon.
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| Rio de la Verona |
