Sinking Beauty
If you were to buy a television set, how
would you bring it home? Would someone
from the store load it into the trunk of your
family's car, and would a family member
then drive it home and have to carry it only
from the car into your house? In Venice,
Italy, taking home a television set is a vastly
different project. If you bought the set from a
store on Italy's mainland, you would
probably carry it to a train, bus, or taxi traveling
into Venice. Upon arriving, you would likely
load it onto a hired wherry, a narrow rowboat
used to transport such items. After being
securely fastened, so as not to make the boat
unstable, it would then be transported down
the Grand Canal and through an intricate
series of smaller canals leading towards your
house, where it would finally be unloaded
and carried for the rest of its journey.
But then, people don't live in or visit Venice
because it is a modern, convenient city. It is
not. It's much more. Many call this city the
most beautiful in the world. Filled with great
paintings, sculptures, marble palaces, and
churches built centuries ago, it also has an
intricate network of canals and sidewalks
that invite exploration by both tourists and
longtime residents. One new resident of the
city commented on the difficulty of locating a
tucked-away restaurant she found and
enjoyed on a previous outing. That, she
observed, is part of the city's charm and
mystery.
Cars do not exist in Venice; the city's roads
are its canals, and its vehicles are gondolas
and vaporettos. Gondolas are lightweight,
narrow barges that resemble large canoes.
Both ends curve up to a point which is
ornamented by a contrasting metal flourish.
Gondolas are propelled by a single oar,
paddled at the stern by gondoliers.
Gondoliers are professional operators who make an
excellent living by transporting tourists and
Venetians willing to splurge on this most
private, romantic, and convenient way of
traveling. Those on a budget use vaporettos,
or water buses, which take passengers to
and from designated stations. Once certain
destinations are reached, it is possible to
travel by foot on lanes and bridges.
Nothing can prepare newcomers for the sight
of long, curving rows of majestic, aged
buildings rising from canals. Scattered boat
landings and porches open right onto the water,
giving the appearance of a city filled with
flooded streets. But the water has always
been there. Venice was built on a group of
118 islets in the Lagoon of Venice over 1,000
years ago. The first inhabitants were
fishermen who made their living in this area that
was nothing but muddy marshland broken
up by barely navigable water.
Venice is a magnificent place, yet it does
have problems. Pollution from industry
threatens aged buildings, art treasures, and
the lagoon itself. Most troubling of all is the
fact that the city is sinking. Not only is its
art in danger, but also are the homes of its
residents. Diverted rivers, channels dug
deeper for mainland industry, waters blocked
by nearby fish farms, and rising seas (from
melting glaciers and global warming) have
contributed to its slow, downward movement
into the water. Frequent floods add to the
threat of destruction. Money from concerned
countries, including Italy itself, is now
flowing in to "save Venice." The funds have been
used to restore the works of art and
architecture that celebrate Venice's past. To keep out
high water, floodgates and other devices are
being designed and installed.
In 1975, experts predicted that half of the
city's statues and paintings would be gone
within 30 years. Over 20 years have passed,
and the treasures appear safe. The city
thrived for 1,000 years and may continue to
do so if the multinational effort continues to
save this jewel of Italy.
NAME:
Skimming: To skim a reading selection, read rapidly and selectively for a particular purpose. After
skimming the reading selection, answer these questions.
1. What is the title?
2. What is a wherry?
3. What is the gondola?
4. What is a vaporetto?
5. What is flowing in to "save Venice" and where is a coming from?
6. Is Venice a modern, convenient city? If not, why do people live in or visit the city?
7. Why don't the people of Venice own cars?
8. What is the job of a gondolier?
9. What was Venice built on and how old is the city?
10. What two major problems does the city have?
Summarizing: In your own words, explain the problem's Venice is experiencing. Describe
possible solutions to these problems.