Erosion and climate change threaten Venice's treasures

Details of disappearing faces, inscriptions that become illegible, blackened marbles from pollution and consumed by saltiness. Through the systematic comparison of archive photographs, from the 1970s to date, and recent shots, a study by Ca' Foscari University Venice shows the process of constant erosion of its heritage of the city, threatened by climate change and launches the alarm about the state of degradation. An immense and often little known, made up of bas-reliefs, coats of arms, sculptures and inscriptions embedded in the walls of the buildings, risks disappear silently, taking with him the minute stories and precious things of the city. The research, published in the volume The Innovative Pathway on Sustainable Culture Tourism, has analyzed the state of preservation of over 600 of these "hidden treasures" in the Cannaregio district. The study, conducted by researcher Margherita Zucchelli and the teachers Monica Calcagno and Elisabetta Zendri, not only documents the degradation, but proposes also a concrete solution: the creation of two itineraries cultural alternatives: hidden Cannaregio - North and South route Southern route, to rediscover these works and promote a more conscious tourism. This heritage, defined technically "erratic good", it constitutes a testimony fundamental to history, devotion and identity Venetian. "Propose alternative cultural itineraries based on the widespread heritage is a concrete strategy to promote a more conscious and sustainable tourism. It means valorizing the existing, distribute the flows and allow visitors to discover the authentic soul of Venice, the one that lives in its less traveled streets" explains Monica Calcagno, teacher of Management at the Venice School of Management of Ca' Foscari. The fieldwork was made possible thanks to the collaboration with volunteers from the "Cultural Heritage Protection Unit" of the Civil Protection of Venice which since 2006, in agreement with the Superintendency, they keep an inventory of the "minor" heritage scattered throughout the city. "This research demonstrates that the protection of the heritage is not just the task of experts, but is born from love and from the daily care of citizens" says Margherita Zucchelli, first author of the study. The study, included in the activities of the research line Crest (Cultural Resources for Sustainable Tourism), part of Pnrr Changes project funded by the Ministry of University and of Research, "wants to be a call to action, to stimulate a greater awareness of the fragility of this museum widespread and on the need for maintenance interventions". "It is it is necessary to offer citizens and tourists a new key to reading to explore Venice, away from the crowds, and to understand how even the seemingly less significant and well-known goods are valuable sentinels for understanding climate change and social issues that the city is going through" says Elisabetta Zendri, professor of Chemistry of Cultural Heritage at the Department of Environmental Sciences, Computer Science and Statistics.