Buongiorno Venezia

about trust, again. in our newsletter you’ll read how a fire destroyed a huge part of the De Longhi factory 30 kilometers from Venice, yesterday. There’s a danger — there’s no danger — there’s no toxic substance — the substances exceed the limit, a little. the usual news ballet.
i want to believe there’s no risk of dioxin contamination. i believe it. but i wonder who still believes what authorities declare. many residents in the area between Treviso and Venice chose not to return home for the day and slept in the surroundings. the editor included. today i’m having a great time working at my pc near the Jesolo beach. not a bad idea, all in all. After all… tomorrow is another day, when the cloud will be gone with the wind. but today is today.

as you’ll read in our next issue of Buongiorno Venezia, the Italian Minister for the Environment Pecoraro Scanio is not in favour of the MOSE project for the safeguard of Venice against high tides…. And as we reported in past issues of our newsletter, the Mayor Cacciari is trying to stop the project: but - people comment all over venice - he should have protested with more energy many years ago… is now too late?
Residents know that the acqua alta is the natural way for the lagoon to clean up itself. The puzzle is how to keep it under given limits.

Read more about the MOSE system here:

http://www.veniceword.com/mosesystem.htm
http://www.veniceword.com/news/8/mose.html

not only high tides. also sulphation is a menace for Venice. The sulphur emissions of engines operating in the city are causing marbles and stones to get more fragile than ever. imagine marble turning into chalk.

a Committee for Public Health is trying to inform people and have them sign a petition, also with a public demonstration held yesterday - which was not so successful because of the rain.

according to studies, the present rate of the corrosion will put the palazzi in real danger in few years, and the committee is asking to replace the polluting engines. if you had thought that venice was safe against air pollution, because there a no cars after piazzale roma’s border, then think of ships, cruise ships and motor boats (and the close industrial area), and you’ll figure out the size of the problem.