Venice is no doubt one of the most romantic and unique cities in Italy and in the world. Its uniqueness is also its death sentence unfortunately, as climate change and other factors are causing the once Serenissima Republic to sink. In order to avoid this jewel become an European Atlantis, the World is collaborating on methods to protect it. From the MOSE dams to fundraising events like the Save Venice Ball in NYC, we all need to pitch in. Known for its one of a kind architecture, canals, bridges, the Carnival and the star studded Film Festival, Venice has a lot to offer beyond these world renowned attractions. We’ve done some research and found more reasons why Venice needs to be saved, beyond the ones you know already.
Venice was built on wooden stilts
Did you know Venice wasn’t built directly on the surface of the island, but rather on stilts? Right, there are over 100.000 wooden stilts beneath the islands, which originally served as the foundations for the fishermen’s houses who founded Venice, and later became architect’s favoured form of foundations to build the beautiful buildings we see today. The earth of the islands was deemed not strong enough to support stone houses, and therefore these stilts were placed to strengthen the island by being anchored to the stronger soil at the bottom of the lagoon. The problem solving Venetian architects went as far as to build houses directly on wooden platforms anchored with stilts to the bottom of the lagoon. Some of these stilts are still visible in a canal, which goes from Pellestrina to Chioggia.
Ciao Venice: where the most popular Italian word was invented
Did you know that the Italian word Ciao (hello) had Venetian origins? In the past, people in Venice used to greet each other by saying “s-ciavo vostro” (your servant, at your order). Then, year after year, the greeting became at first “s-ciao” and then “ciao”.