Cleaning The Canals

I learned something new the other day that I thought I would share with you.

In 1956 something amazing happened in Venice, Italy.

For the very first time in centuries the world famous canals were drained and cleaned!

Can you imagine the work involved?

This incredible civic undertaking was to improve the sanitation and infrastructure of these historic waterways.

As I can picture, the canals had accumulated layers and layers of debris, silt, and waste leading to unsanitary conditions. The city decided to try and restore the waterways to their former glory to preserve Venice’s unique cultural and historical identity.

This undertaking must have required meticulous planning, coordination, and of course a labor intensive work effort by huge teams of engineers, workers, and volunteers.

The water was pumped out of the canals and treasures were found in the muck like lost artifacts, sunken boats, and centuries old structures.

The crews had to dredge, scrub, and excavate the canals to remove all the layers of detritus and restore the waterways to their original depth and clarity.

This historic event in 1956 symbolized their sense of civic pride, community effort, and commitment to the preservation of Venice’s cultural legacy.

My family had the pleasure of visiting Venice many years ago when our four children were teens and it was the most incredible city! Of course we took a gondola ride on the watery streets and it was SO cool.

Amazingly, I read that the canals returned to their former glory during lockdown and the world wide Covid epidemic. Nature is amazing….and so is Venice!

Thank you to O. Fagbua for sharing this interesting information.