A glass barrier built to protect St Mark’s basilica in Venice from rising tides was declared a success yesterday after it kept surging flood water at bay.
Completed a few weeks ago, the new 1.1m-high wall withstood the water that flooded into the adjacent St Mark’s Square, protecting the precious 11th-century gold leaf mosaics inside the church. “We really needed this barrier to keep out the salt water, which has been damaging the mosaics. Finally they are safe,” said Simone Venturini, Venice’s tourism chief.
More frequent episodes of acqua alta or high water in Venice have seriously damaged the basilica’s 840 sq m of gold leaf mosaics as salt seeps into the bricks behind the tiles, buckling them.
The decision to erect the €3.8 million
