Last October 3rd was a historic day for Venice. For the first time, in fact, the 78 bulkheads of the MOSE , the barrier system against flooding, were raised simultaneously to defend the Serenissima from high water. Reaching the goal: Piazza San Marco remained dry, to the satisfaction of Venetians and tourists in the city.
It was not a real inauguration, but only a test. In fact, all the works for the complete functioning of the MOSE should be completed by the end of 2021. With this important work , buying a house in Venice really no longer has any contraindications. The most romantic city in the world, reflected in the water of its canals, will in fact be sheltered from the phenomenon of high water.
THE MOSE: WHAT IT IS AND ITS HISTORY
The name might seem like an important biblical quote (for Moses, able to separate the waters of the Red Sea to let the Israelites pass by fleeing from the Egyptians). In reality it is only an acronym that stands for Electromechanical Experimental Module . A project that began to be talked about after the 1966 flood, when the water reached a height of 194 centimeters, and more convincingly in the 1980s. The works began in 2003 and, after several delays, should be completed in just over a year.
The MOSE is a system of gates - 78 in all - located in the three gates (Lido, Malamocco and Chioggia) that connect the Venice lagoon to the open sea, also known as "harbor mouths".
At full capacity, the mobile dams will come into operation in the presence of tides greater than 110 cm, thus protecting Venice up to 300 cm of high water. A very ambitious project, which for the next century will have to isolate the Venice lagoon from the open sea, avoiding the flooding of the city during high water phenomena. Your luxury homes in Venice will therefore be safe.
What exactly is meant by high water? This term is used for a tide event greater than 80 centimeters, calculated with respect to the average sea level at Punta della Salute , which in turn is lower than the trampling ground. Below one meter this phenomenon translates into a few centimeters of water in the area of Piazza San Marco, the lowest part of Venice, while the rest of the city is dry.
THE RIGHT TIME TO BUY A HOME
On 3 October, on the occasion of storm Alex, experts had predicted water up to 130 centimeters high, capable of submerging the parlor of Piazza San Marco and other areas of the historic center of Venice. All this did not happen, thanks to the perfect functioning of the MOSE system.
In the morning, the 78 bulkheads were raised, taking exactly an hour and 17 minutes. Piazza San Marco remained dry, and so did the rest of the city. If you are interested in buying luxury apartments for sale in Venice, then this is the ideal time. Among the novelties of the local agency Engel & Völkers there is no shortage of unmissable opportunities, whatever your needs.
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