Bell 1

Maggie Bell

Mr. Phillips

AP Eng 3/Pd 4

14 December 2018

A Sea of Destruction and Chaos

“Splash,” the streets of Venice exclaim as thousands of tourists bustle through the city on

any given day. Venice, located in the heart of Italy, is known for its beautiful and unique

architecture, rich history, canals and shops that fill the city, but also for the frequent floods.

These floods do considerable damage to the cultural sights in Venice and are leading Venice to a

slow death. Tourism brings in millions of people globally per year, often to the residents’

dismay. The high tides and storm surges often coincide with the busy season of tourism, which

work together to harm the city overall. These factors are pushing Venice towards its breaking

point, and only time will tell how much the island can take. Numerous floods throughout the

year and the continual clamor of tourism are decimating the rich history of Venice, which needs

to end now for the city’s greater good.

In early November, floods dragged Venice through the turmoil of severe weather. An

article titled “Venice Floodwaters ease; Italian storms kill 2 more people” by the Associated

Press of the ​Herald Tribune​, reports on the damage and cites that floods caused water levels to

rise to five feet in the city. This information is unsettling, yet unsurprising. According to Paul

Simmons in an article titled “Weather Eye,” the phenomenon of “acqua alta,” or floods from

risen tides, has slowly worsened. Due to factors such as canals, the proximity to sea level, land

sinking, and elevated waters, floods are common in Venice, as explained in “The Sinking City,”

by Marcia Amidon Lüsted. While these floods frequently torment the city, some have a greater
 Bell 2

impact than others, and the one witnessed in November was of a more destructive nature to the

municipality of Venice.

The geographical location of Venice causes much of the flooding. According to Glen

Phelan in an article titled “Sinking Venice” of ​National Geographic​, The Venetian Lagoon

covers the shores of Italy, and a series of islands composes the city of Venice here. The fact the

city is located right on the lagoon makes for unique character, but also puts Venice’s fate in the

hands of another force: the tides and weather. This geography has a clear connection to the

frequent flooding, as CNN weather experts shared their knowledge that these deluges occur with

elevated waters, and will be exacerbated “as seas rise because of increasing temperatures and

melting ice sheets”, in an article by Laura Smith Spark, titled “Venice Floods: Warnings Salt

Water Could Damage Artifacts.” The site and situation of the city play major roles in the

imminent peril of Venice.

The storm also profoundly impacts Venice’s culture. The storm caused St. Mark’s

Basilica to fill with water, making the top five list of these occurrences in almost a millennial.

The middle of the church, loaded with “Roman, Byzantine, and Venetian culture,” took the

greatest hit ( “Venice Floodwaters”). According to Josephine McKenna of the ​Daily Telegraph

who wrote an article called “Plea to save precious floor of cathedral after floods in Venice,”

agents cautioned the city and world that St. Mark’s Basilica requires immediate work on the

floor to combat the tens of years of damage caused by the flood. While these facts are jarring, an

even scarier one is that “some tourists frolicked in the filthy water and dined in restaurants as it

lapped at the calf of their rubber boots,” as seen in the article by Jason Horowitz. Events like

these have become far too common, and people are beginning to call the long-term effects into

question.
 Bell 3

The torrential stream of visitors creates many problems in need of a solution. The

dilemma does have an obvious cause, as Venice’s economy relies on tourism, with over 11% of

its GDP coming from the industry and a substantial portion of jobs dedicated to tourism, as seen

in a report from the World Travel and Tourism Council. While the industry does offer some

benefit to Venice, it weakens the city as a whole. According to a​ New York Times​ article written

by Andrew Testas, titled “Venice, Invaded by Tourists, Risks Becoming ‘Disneyland on the

Sea,” since tourism has such a massive place on the island, there is no longer space to carry out

its functions, so trash and laundry are taken daily to Tronchetto, a man-made island on the way

to mainland. This startling statistic can be demonstrated through an opinionated piece called

“The Taste with Vir Sanghvi: Venice is Sinking Under a Flood of Tourists, But You Can Avoid

the Deluge” by Vir Sanghvi, recounting his experiences with the city, which states that even sans

tourists, the city of Venice was built for 200,000, and the 50,000 residents and 150,000 that come

in daily for work quickly fill the city. However, since tourism makes up a substantial portion of

the economy, obviously the citizens are not the only ones on the island. ​Venezia Autentica​, a

tourism website, demonstrates this in an article which explains that Venice’s populace is

declining as living in the city requires more money. Many local necessities were also eliminated

because of the tourists that overrun the city. A reason for the increase in the cost of living comes

from short-term lodging that has been created for tourists out of residential living space. This

increases the price for locals, and this trend has become rampant in the last twenty years, as

observed by Winston Ross, who showcases the economic changes in the city through the year of

2015. Residents have become fed up with the bustle of commercial tourism, and there has to be

a better way to go about this.

Both of these problems come together to create a perfect storm of threats to the ancient

beauty of the city. However, the issue lies in the management of the risks. Venetians offered
 Bell 4

their opinions on the issues, with a particularly noteworthy quote delivered by a local painter

Giovanni Bonazzo, whose goal was bringing in his perspective of seeing “checkpoints” for

visitors on a hectic weekend earlier this year. This sight made Bonazzo sad, and he stated, “Yes,

they [the government] should control the tourists. But they shouldn’t close Venice. We’re a city,

not a theme park,” which Lisa Abend of ​Time ​quoted in a piece titled “The Tourism Trap.” This

notion of a theme park in place of a city, has been repeated and addressed, and a solution needs

to be found.

With finding a remedy for the tourism, many strides have been made. Venetian law now

requires that the creation of new restaurants dedicated to take-out food ends for 36 months, in an

effort to slow the effects of tourism on Venice, according to Nick Squires of the ​Daily Telegraph

in an article discussing this new ban. Another proposed option for controlling the rush of tourists

is through limiting alcohol consumption. Under the proposed ordinance, being in the possession

of alcohol after seven o’clock in public places may be met with charges, as this could be a new

strategy to keep unruly behavior at bay, as explained by Josephine McKenna in a piece about a

proposed solution to this problem. When thinking about controlling the issue of non-residency,

Venice can take notes from the Swiss. According to a ​National Geographic​ writer, Simon

Worrall, Swiss law requires that only 20% of property owned can be secondary houses in the

country, as to not drive out local culture or for it to “lose its soul.” This could be a possible plan

of action for Venice to sustain the heart of the city.

While tourism is a major problem that needs addressing, the actual city needs to be

around for everyone to enjoy. A member of St. Mark’s Basilica maintenance board, Pierpaolo

Campostrini, stated that “Unlike an earthquake where you see the damage right away,” the

damage from serious events, like floods, “and constant water infiltration,” can be seen in time

(Horowitz). A proposed solution for the flooding is a project called MOSE. “MOSE (an
 Bell 5

acronym for Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico, or ‘Experimental Electromechanical

Module’) is one of the world’s largest and highest-profile civil-engineering works.” The barrier

would work with the tides and weather; when normal it would rest, but with high water, air

would push it out, according to Marcello Rossi of CityLab in an article titled “Will a huge new

flood barrier save Venice?” The project, a plan for blocking the elevated waters and keeping

Venice safe from these, through flood blockades, has been ongoing. This project, however is

incomplete, due to “corruption and spiraling costs” (Spark). While the logistics of the barrier

would be of great benefit to Venice, it has a lofty cost and certain red flags. Many politicians are

against the project, because of the high price tag and a sea of mystery behind it, while

environmentalists fret about the long-term effects on aquatic life and the sustainability (Rossi).

Engineers will complete this work in 2022, for many setbacks and lack of government control

has plagued the process. Regardless of these potential concerns, this project may be Venice’s

only hope at survival.

Venice’s dire situation has to come to a remedy. Venice will greatly benefit from

encouraging “sustainable tourism,” which encapsulates the process of working towards a reduced

effect on the natural surroundings, and also an improved utilization of raw materials and capital.

For tourists, this means being more mindful about their effect and being open to the local

customs, as explained by Michael Luongo in an article titled “Sustainable Tourism: In Search of

Balance.” If Venice takes back their local customs, and cuts back on opening businesses solely

directed to tourists, this will prevent Venice from becoming another victim to this well-meaning,

yet unforgiving industry. When looking down the road at the current path Venice is heading, the

flooding will sink Venice and the tourism will make the city into a place that is undesirable for

all parties. Tourists and locals need to collaborate to save Venice from going under, and to

ensure the city prospers for years. This collaboration can take the shape of fundraising for the
 Bell 6

MOSE project, or looking into creative solutions. If the city of Venice and tourists do not take

action soon, the beloved city may be only an ephemeral memory to the human race in coming

generations.
 Bell 7

Works Cited

Abend, Lisa. “The Tourism Trap.” ​Time​, vol. 192, no. 5/6, Aug. 2018, pp. 36–42. ​EBSCOhost,​

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,custuid&custid=s8455861&

db=a9h&AN=130942201&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Horowitz, Jason. "In Venice Floods, Tourists Frolic as Locals Fear for Treasures." ​New York

Times,​ Nov. 2018. ​New York Times,​ nytimes.com.

Luongo, Michael. "SUSTAINABLE TOURISM: IN SEARCH OF BALANCE." ​Latin Trade​,

May-Aug. 2018, p. 10+. ​Global Issues in Context​,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A551167762/GIC?u=rale84535&sid=GIC&xid=db78

eb3e. Accessed 3 Dec. 2018.

Lusted, Marcia Amidon. "The Sinking City." ​Discovery Education​. ​Discovery Education​,

discoveryeducation.com.

McKenna, Josephine. "Plea to save precious floor of cathedral after floods in Venice." Daily

Telegraph [London, England], 12 Nov. 2018, p. 18. Global Issues in Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A561877558/GIC?u=rale84535&sid=GIC&xid=79da

73a3. Accessed 3 Dec. 2018.

McKenna, Josephine. "Venice to ban Alcohol in Public Places." ​Daily Telegraph​ [London],

Sept. 2018. ​EBSCOhost​, ebscohost.com.

Phelan, Glen. "Sinking Venice." ​National Geographic Extreme Explorer,​ Jan. 2016. ​EBSCOhost​,

ebscohost.com.

Press, The Associated. "Venice Flood Waters Ease; Italian Storms Kill 2 More People." ​Herald

Tribune,​ Nov. 2018. ​Herald Tribune,​ heraldtribune.com.

Ross, Winston. "The Death of Venice: Corrupt Officials, Mass Tourism and Soaring Property
 Bell 8

Prices have Stifled Life in the City." ​The Independent,​ May 2015. ​The Independent,​

independent.co.uk.

Rossi, Marcello. "Will a Huge New Flood Barrier Save Venice?" ​CityLab​, Apr. 2018,

citylab.com.

Sanghvi, Vir. “The Taste with Vir Sanghvi: Venice Is Sinking under a Flood of Tourists, but

You Can Avoid the Deluge.” ​Hindustan Times​, 29 Aug. 2018. ​EBSCOhost​,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,custuid&custid=s8455861&

db=n5h&AN=2W6617875371&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Spark, Laura Smith. "Venice Floods: Warnings Salt Water Could Damage Artifacts." ​CNN​, Nov.

2018, cnn.com.

Squires, Nick. "Venice Says Enough is Enough to More Takeaway Pizzas and Picnics in its

Piazzas." ​Daily Telegraph ​[London], May 2018. ​EBSCOhost,​ ebscohost.com.

Testas, Andrew. "Venice, Invaded by Tourists, Risks Becoming 'Disneyland on the Sea." ​New

York Times​, Aug. 2017. ​New York Times,​ nytimes.com.

Venezia Autentica. "Why Tourism in Venice is Doing More Harm than Good and What We Can

Do About It." ​Venezia Autentica​, veneziaautentica.com. Accessed 8 Nov. 2018.

"Weather Eye." ​Times​ [London, England], 2 Nov. 2018, p. 65. ​Global Issues in Context,​

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A560853283/GIC?u=rale84535&sid=GIC&xid=861d

c4c0. Accessed 3 Dec. 2018.

World Travel & Tourism Council. "City Travel & Tourism Impact 2017." ​World Travel &

Tourism Council​, wtcc.org. Accessed 4 Dec. 2018.

Worrall, Simon. "Tourists Could Destroy Venice if Floods Don't First." ​National Geographic​,

Oct. 2016. ​National Geographic,​ relay.nationalgeographic.com.