One year ago on November 12, 2019, Venice experienced a high tide of 187cm–the second worst in the city’s history–that left heartbreaking damage in its wake. In the days and weeks that followed, additional record high tides continued to inundate the city. Although acqua alta is a recurring phenomenon that Venice expects, these events were unprecedented and their effects reaffirmed the fragility of this singular city.
Indeed Save Venice was founded in response to the worst flood in Venice’s history, which occurred more than 50 years ago on November 4, 1966. Remaining true to our mission, within days of the 2019 floods we created the Immediate Response Fund to ensure a budget for artistic heritage relief and partnered with the Embassy of Italy in Washington D.C. to launch the #AmericaLovesVenice campaign. The fund grew to over $700,000 thanks to almost 600 donors worldwide, and was put to use at 22 sites to mitigate the effects of corrosive saltwater and deposits in churches, museums, and historic buildings that experienced damage from the tidal flooding. Projects also included emergency conservation treatment for paintings, stonework, floors, wooden furnishings, and books and archival documents, as well as preventive conservation to minimize damage from future floods.
Watch our recent panel discussion, co-presented with the Italian Embassy, on the impact of the Immediate Response Fund in Venice since last year’s floods.
The MOSE floodgates project is nearing completion, and work is now expected to be finished by December 2021. During the fall of 2020, the gates were tested during exceptional events, successfully protecting the city in those instances. While the city remains hopeful that a solution is now in sight, the system is not yet being utilized for all occurrences of acqua alta and vulnerable monuments and ground floor spaces at a lower elevation continue to be exposed to the detrimental effects of tidal flooding.
Venice is still experiencing the physical, economic, and emotional consequences of the floods. Venice’s most vulnerable sites, the individuals responsible for their care, and the entire community need your support now more than ever. Please help us sustain the Immediate Response Fund so that we can continue to expand our efforts, and be ready for future extreme events.
133 East 58th Street, Suite 501
New York, NY 10022
Palazzo Contarini Polignac
Dorsoduro 870 30123 Venice, Italy
The Rosand Library & Study Center is accessible by appointment.
133 East 58th Street, Suite 501
New York, NY 10022
Palazzo Contarini Polignac
Dorsoduro 870 30123 Venice, Italy
The Rosand Library & Study Center is accessible by appointment.