RESTORATION OF THE TRACHYTE FLAGSTONES IN ST MARK’S SQUARE TO BEGIN

The Venice city council has approved the preliminary plan to restore the paving in St Mark’s Square; a problem we have mentioned in previous news items. There is serious subsidence in the Square, especially in the part normally used to erect stages for major events, which requires rapid intervention. So the council has decided to act to restore the uneven flags. These have been damaged not only by the high tides that wash away the sand, but also by the siting of large, even though temporary, structures (stages) during Carnival and Venice University’s graduation festivities in the Square, as can be read in the illustrated report by the city council’s public works department cited by Enrico Tantucci in an article published today in the Nuova Venezia. The work will be carried out on a central portion of the Square (about 1000 m2) and probably begin next summer at a cost to the city council of about 500,000 euros.