The incredible engineering of Venice - Stephanie H. Smith

With its sprawling network of canals and complete lack of roads, Venice stands out as one of the world’s most unique and iconic cities. Located in a lagoon along Italy’s Adriatic coast, the city was first established in the 6th century CE by settlers fleeing the Lombard invasions to the north. But the hundreds of small islands within the lagoon had marshy and unstable soil that made it unsuited for the weight of permanent buildings. This led the early Venetians to find innovative ways of strengthening the silty foundations by driving long thin wooden poles – called piles – into the ground. As the city expanded, these original piles remained – unaffected by rot due to the largely anaerobic environment.

But Venice wasn’t just unique for its physical foundations. During the medieval period, it emerged as a wealthy merchant Republic, governed by its citizens rather than as a monarchy. The leader, who carried the title of doge, was elected for life but his power was increasingly limited. The ideal candidate for doge was considered someone who was elderly – and therefore wouldn’t rule for long; who lacked male heirs who could try to claim hereditary power after his death; and who had made no effort to accumulate personal power during his career. The strict distribution of power contributed to long-term stability, and led to the Republic’s nickname as La Serenissima, or “The Most Serene.” One of the most influential doges was Enrico Dandolo, who negotiated Venice’s investment in the Fourth Crusade, which was rerouted to Constantinople after too few Crusaders arrived to cover the city’s investment. Their success against other Christians, however, resulted in significant territorial and commercial gains for the Republic. Venice remained a Republic until the last doge was forced to abdicate in 1797 by Napoleon Bonaparte.

Due to its location as a crossroads of trade, Venice emerged as one of the most powerful states in the medieval and early modern Mediterranean and accumulated a massive amount of wealth in the process. As a result, it became a cosmopolitan and influential city, serving as a center of cultural production during the Italian Renaissance, where art, glassmaking, and printing flourished. It was also home to diverse populations. This included a Jewish quarter and, by the 15th century, a population of both enslaved and freed people of African descent, as illustrated in paintings from the period depicting Black gondoliers. The origins of the gondola – a slim boat designed to navigate the city’s maze of canals – are unclear. While often associated with Venice today, all but the wealthiest Venetians walked on canal-side walkways rather than traversing the city by boat.

Venice’s decline as a maritime power resulted both from the rise of the Ottomans and from the establishment of trans-oceanic trade routes. But its status as a cultural nexus remained and continues to this day, as millions of tourists flock to the city every year. But overtourism and the rise in water levels due to climate change are threatening the city’s very survival. Underwater barriers – known as MOSE - were installed at the lagoon’s entrance in 2020 and rise during especially high tides to limit the water coming into the lagoon, but its long-term effectiveness remains in question. Currently, the city is grappling with how to preserve its cultural heritage and physical integrity in a rapidly changing world.