VENICE: It’s a simple solution, but one that may keep the marble columns and valuable mosaics of Venice’s iconic St Mark’s Basilica safe from seawater-induced erosion: A set of glass barriers installed around the 900-year-old church has kept its floors dry during frequent high tides.
Even after it evaporates, water leaves behind salt crystals that corrode the marble bases of the columns and the floor mosaics, said Mario Piana, the architect and restoration expert in charge of St Mark’s.
The new barriers are made of glass mounted on a base of armoured concrete that is buried below the pavement of the famous St Mark’s square to resist the force of surging water. Piana said the system could keep out up to 1.10m of water in the square, equivalent to a tide of 1.90m above sea level.
“Let’s hope that, from now on, there are no more high waters that will touch the base of the basilica,” the expert said during an on-site visit, stressing the fragility of the clay-brick structure.
Built on log piles among canals, the palatial city of Venice has grappled with flooding since its foundation 1,600 years ago. But like other coastal areas, rising sea levels and more extreme weather that scientists associate with climate change have meant more frequent high tides.
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