From our accommodations, Hotel Palazzo Priuli, Bob and I set off for mercato di Rialto, a bustling fish and vegetable market. When we rounded a corner to cross Piazza San Marco, we found the square flooded from the high tide. Venice is sinking, and Piazza San Marco is always the first part of the city to get wet!
Venice is borne up atop millions of tree trunks that were driven deep into the lagoon’s clay base around 421 AD. Mostly alder trees, when exposed to the salty water beneath Venice, the wooden pillars over time became petrified. Pounded well into the muddy seabed, the fossilized tree trunks became hard as stone. This hidden forest became an unshakable foundation that has supported Venice for 1,600 years.
But Venice is sinking! Many factors are contributing to the plight of this most beautiful city. Rising sea levels owing to climate change is just one thing affecting the erosion of building foundations.
Piazza San Marco or St. Mark’s Square is supported by 100,000 wooden piles that are pounded deep into the soft marshy soil at half metre intervals. The Square sits around 90 centimetres above sea level, and the pilings are hidden 1.6 metres below the waterline.
So, although Bob and I didn’t expect to find Piazza San Marco turned into a reflective pool, it was actually an opportunity for some interesting photos. The buildings, built in a classical style, created an awesome reflection in the floodwaters.
Bob and I initially thought that the water in the Square had overflowed from the Grand Canal, but then we noticed that it was bubbling up through grates in the stone tiles. When the seasonal high tide occurs in the winter, the sea level rises more than 90 centimetres, but even the Adriatic Sea’s normal tide forces water through the drain holes in different parts of the Square.
Bordering 3 sides of St. Mark’s Square are the Procuratie Nuove, seen here on the left, the Napoleonic Wing, and the Procuratie Vecchie on the right. These buildings are connected and run along the south, west and north sides of the Piazza. The Procuratie were constructed by the Procurators of St. Mark, the second highest ranking dignitaries in the government of the Republic of Venice. The Napoleonic Wing was built under Napoleon’s rule.
At the eastern end of the Procuratie Vecchie on the north side of St. Mark’s Square is St. Mark’s Clocktower. The Clocktower was strategically placed to be visible from the lagoon. Bob and I would soon be walking through the large archway below the Clocktower onto a street called the Merceria. The Merceria is the main thoroughfare of the city leading to the primary commercial and financial district of Venice.
Dominating the eastern end of St. Mark’s Square is St. Mark’s Basilica. This western facade of St. Mark’s Basilica was under repair at the time, but that did not diminish the prominence of the great arches, intricate marble decoration or the four horses standing guard over the Square. Bob was pleased to get a nice reflection of the Basilica in the expanse of sea water laying on the Square.
Lots of people were milling around St. Mark’s Square that morning, many waiting to tour St. Mark’s Basilica. Measures had been put in place to keep peoples’ feet dry and to avoid tracking water into the Basilica.
All around the city, we had been noticing stacked platforms with sturdy steel legs ready to be employed when the city streets are flooded. St. Mark’s Square was amply prepared for the high tide with an abundance of such platforms.
As Bob and I toured Venice, we had also taken note of many businesses that use flood barriers for their doors.
Since St. Mark’s Square is so prone to flooding, and at times, the whole Square becomes submerged, the elevated platforms are indispensable. It is said, however, that the locals prefer to simply don their wellies and walk through the water.
As Bob and I were taking in all the action in St. Mark’s Square, one particular couple crept into our consciousness, a woman in a red velvet coat and a photographer who seemed to be on a mission.
We kept them in our sights since it seemed that something dramatic was about to unfold.
In following their movements, we could see that they were gravitating to the far end of the Square in order to take advantage of the reflective water surfaces.
When the young woman removed her red velvet covering, a flowing gauzy pink dress was revealed. See the circled portion of this image.
For several long minutes, the ballerina performed delicate dance moves in front of St. Mark’s Basilica. It was an unexpected treat to see a performance in St. Mark’s Square.
And then, the spell was broken when deliverymen with carts loaded high paraded across the Square on regular runs to the businesses of Venice. Their day’s work had begun.
It was at about this time that Bob and I really took note of the scores of Pigeons that had descended on St. Mark’s Square. They seemed to be attracted to the pools of water. A hustler noticed our interest in the birds and promptly gave me 2 tablespoons of corn so I could feed the birds.
Reminiscing about feeding Pigeons in Trafalgar Square in London, England, we gave no thought to the motives of the hustler. He next asked for 7 euros, which at the time was equivalent to about $10 Canadian. That was exorbitant and proof of the Venetian disdain for tourists. I can’t say that I blame them, though, with over one million tourists visiting their city every year.
We had fun with the Pigeons and did pay the man a modest amount before finally continuing on our daily excursion.
As Bob and I prepared to exit Piazza San Marco via the archway below the St. Mark’s Clocktower, we had to marvel at the remarkable feat of medieval engineering that continues to support one of the world’s most beautiful cities. Venice is sinking, yet for the time being, it still plays host to waves of visitors every year.
Frame to Frame – Bob and Jean