01/01/2006

Keeping Venice Above Water

Expresso Magazine

It's 40 years since devastating floods hit Venice and we first took action by raising funds to restore and save the city. Now we're celebrating a major milestone, having raised over £1.6 million. In fact, together with the generous support of our customers, we've raised an amazing £1,645,319 for The Veneziana Fund, which supports the Venice in Peril Fund as well as restoration projects in the UK.

While helping restore major architectural gems, Venice in Peril also supports innovative schemes like the recently completed house at 792 Calle delle Beccarie in the San Giobbe parish. Here, an ancient building was sympathetically restored and turned into flats for social housing, including a flood-proof ground-floor flat for a disabled resident.

A combination of subsidence and a rise in the levels of the lagoon waters means that Venice is already 23 cms lower in the water than it was in 1900. So another aspect of the Fund's work is supporting research and development for huge barriers designed to hold back storm surges from the sea.

Every time you enjoy a Veneziana pizza with onions, capers, olives, sultanas and pine kernels, we make a 25p contribution on your behalf to The Veneziana Fund.