How to Save Venice From Flooding?

May 18 -- They call Venice La Serenissima — the most serene of cities. But it is hard to stay serene when you are up to your knees in acqua alta.

The city is sinking, and has slipped perhaps 5 inches in the last century. At the same time, the nearby Adriatic Sea has risen as much as 4 inches. The numbers may sound small, but the consequences are not. More than 100 times a year now, the fabled piazzas are flooded by high tides.

"I have been working here since 1997, and it's getting worse," said Andrea Testa, a musician at an open-air restaurant. "I don't know if it's some weather change, but it's getting worse."

Fabulous ancient buildings are dissolving in the flood waters. The population of the city is shrinking. It is now 60,000, down from 150,000 after World War II.

"There is no other solution," said Riccardo D'Ambrosi, a shopkeeper. "We have to keep and save Venice."

Parting the Waters

But where to begin? The Italian government has debated the issue time and again since the great flood of Nov. 3, 1966, when Venice was devastated by floodwaters 5 feet deep.

Different plans have come and gone, almost as frequently as prime ministers; few politicians were willing to commit money to protect Venice, knowing they would probably be voted out of office before any work was completed.

But now, finally, the government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has committed funds to begin Project MOSE. The name is an Italian acronym, short for MOdulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico (pronounced "MO-seh" and roughly translated to mean "experimental electromechanical module"), but the name is close enough to "Moses" that everyone gets the joke.

Project MOSE will not part the sea — just try to stop it.

Gates to the City

Eight years and $4 billion from now, if everything works, giant hollow steel gates will be built to block the three inlets to the lagoon that surrounds Venice. The gates will look like giant slabs, 60 feet wide and up to 100 feet long. There will be 79 of them.