Glass barriers help protect Venice’s famous basilica from high tides

Tourists and residents use walkways to cross a flooded St Mark’s Square in Venice, where recently installed glass barriers prevent seawater from flooding the 900-year-old basilica (Domenico Stinellis/AP)

It’s a simple solution, but one that may keep the marble columns and valuable mosaics of Venice’s famous St Mark’s Basilica safe from seawater-induced erosion: a set of glass barriers installed around the 900-year-old church has kept its floors dry during frequent high tides.

Even after it evaporates, water leaves behind salt crystals that corrode the marble bases of the columns and the floor mosaics, said Mario Piana, the architect and restoration expert in charge of St Mark’s.