Summary

  • Venice, known as the "Floating City," has been sinking due to the weight of its buildings and rising sea levels.
  • Factors causing Venice to sink include global warming, plate tectonics, and past projects for fresh water.
  • The MOSE Project, with mobile barriers, has been completed to protect Venice from future floods and high tides.

It is beautiful to describe Venice, one of Italy’s favorite travel destinations. Many have called it the “Floating City,” and for good reason. One of the most attractive destinations on the planet, to any onlooker, appears to be floating. How Venice was built on water is a subject that fascinates and intrigues in equal measure. Yet, going by several predictions, Venice, Italy, is sinking — and has been for a while now.

Maybe it’s time to call it one of the most magical cities on the planet, not the Floating City,” but the “Sinking City.” Of course, regardless of the season or whether there are crowds, Venice will always be worth a visit. And it’s not just because of its surreal beauty. One will find many enjoyable things to do in the “City of Canals.” That’s the reason the news of its sinking is both perplexing and disheartening. Here’s what we know about this 'sinking city' as of now.

UPDATE: 2024/03/19 11:33 EST BY AARON SPRAY

As Of 2024, Work Has Been Completed To Save Venice From Flooding

The sinking city and the high tides have triggered Venice's protective barriers to be increased. This article was updated and expanded to reflect that the work appears to be complete and visitors can enjoy the city for many more years without getting their feet wet.

When Did The World Learn That Venice Is Sinking?

It has been known for hundreds of years that Venice has been sinking.

Venice
Via Unsplash
Venice, Italy, during the day

The news that Venice is sinking is not something new. Of course, it has to do with how one of the most gorgeous cities in Italy was built.

Constructed on a lagoon at sea level and supported by thousands, perhaps millions, of massive tree trunks, the city has always been exposed to the flooding risk that comes with high tides. However, previously, these floods were rare and far between. To compound the problem, there were no reliable records of the city’s sea levels.

Record keeping of the city’s sea levels would commence in 1872. Some records say much later. However, what is certain is that sometime in the middle of the 20th century, authorities realized that Venice was sinking. The finger of blame was pointed at the many artesian wells that had been sunk in hopes of solving the perennial freshwater problem the city had been grappling with.

These wells created subterranean voids that the unsteady ground of the city sunk into by some inches.

What Is Causing Venice, Italy, To Sink?

The weight of the many buildings is causing the land to slowly sink into the lagoon

Venice
Via Unsplash
Aerial view of Venice, Italy
  • Venice is sinking because it is surrounded by water, and too much weight from buildings has caused the ground it sits on the lower.
  • With increasing global temperatures, sea levels rising also impacts the city greatly.
  • Plate tectonics are also to blame for Venice's sinking.

Quite a number of theories have been put forward to try to explain why Venice has been sinking. Of course, the very first theory was that of the artesian wells. These wells had been commissioned by the city’s authorities to help supply fresh water to the city’s thirsty residents.

Of course, Venice has always been surrounded by water. However, this is not fresh water but salty water from the Mediterranean Sea. Of course, this venture was abandoned in the 1960s with the realization that the city was sinking. Since then, other theories have been put forward.

There has been the global warming theory. Scientists say that as a consequence of global warming, the global average sea levels have been on the rise. For instance, the average sea level in Venice is today 32 centimeters higher than it was in 1872 — 61 centimeters higher than it was in the 1750s.

While projections are many and varied, a report suggests that sea levels in Venice could go up by between 17 and 120 centimeters at the turn of the century. Global warming has also been blamed for the frequent flooding Venice experiences today.

And again, another cause is attributed to plate tectonics. The City of Canals, it appears, is on the Adriatic plate. According to geoscientists, the Adriatic plate subduct beneath the Apennines Mountains — an event that causes the city and its environs to drop slightly.

When Is Venice Predicted To Go Underwater?

While some say Venice could be underwater by 2100, there is much that can be done to save the city

Grand Canal in Venice
Image by G.C. from Pixabay 
View of Venice's Grand Canal
  • Many climate experts suggest that Venice could sink by 2100.
  • With many projects going on around and in Venice, these could potentially slow the progression of the water infiltrating this Italian city.

Although the exact time frame of Venice's sinking isn't set in stone, many climate experts suggest the city could sink by 2100. Of course, it can be tricky to perfectly time when sea levels will rise enough to overtake the city, especially with the Mose Project and other infrastructure the country continues to invest in.

Venice, Italy, is one of the world's most beautiful places, so protecting it is a top concern for local, state, and European officials.

Venice does currently "sink" during the annual Acqua Alta, typically between October and March.

Many iconic landmarks regularly see water levels rise, pouring the nearby sea into the halls of churches, local businesses, and homes. Venice isn't technically underwater, but during some times of the year: it does get a taste of the future.

This has understandably concerned many residents and tourists, so it's better to come here when the Acqua Alta is finished in April.

What Is Being Done To Save Venice From Sinking?

All is not lost and work is underway to save Venice from future flooding events

Venice
Via Unsplash
Venice, Italy canal
  • Defensive barriers have been installed throughout and around Venice to block flooding.
  • The Mose Project is expected to be finalized in 2023, totaling 78 barriers in the water surrounding Venice, Italy.

As of January 2024, this work appears to be complete.

If reports are to go by, quite a number of cities are actually in the process of sinking and going out of existence. Many of these cities may even sink before Venice. But that doesn't mean the city or its residents are standing by doing nothing.

The work that was completed in January 2024 inclues the MOSE system, which is a set of mobile barriers to protect Venice from high tides.

Venice May Now Be Effectively Protected From Future Floods

The gates have been raised and MOSE should now effectively protect Venice from high tide events

The haunted Poveglia Island near Venice, Italy, Europe
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The haunted Poveglia Island near Venice, Italy, Europe

In 2023, the New York Times ran an article entitled "Venice Is Saved! Woe Is Venice". The project to raise the sea walls has been more or less completed.

Venice is protected by MOSE, the Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico (or Experimental Electromechanical Module). This is a project that has been designed to protect Venice and the whole Venetian Lagoon from flooding.

The project has rows of mobile gates installed at the lagoon's inlets that can seal off the lagoon from the rest of the Adriatic Sea in periods of exceptionally high tides. The system has also improved a number of other features like coastal reinforcement, elevating of quaysides, and more.

MOSE:

  • Location: Entrances to the lagoon
  • First Activated: 2020
  • Protection: Protects Venice from tides of up to 3 meters or 10 feet

MOSE has now been built to protect Venice from tides as high as 3 meters or almost 10 feet (in 2020 there was an exceptionally high tide event of 2.04 meters or 6 feet, 8 inches). The first time MOSE was activated to protect Venice was in 2020 during a high tide event.

Gondola near Rialto Bridge in Venice, Italy
Shutterstock 
Gondola near Rialto Bridge in Venice, Italy

Now the system is somewhat routinely used when the tides are forecasted to be more than 1.3 meters or 4 feet 3 inches.