18TH CENTURY PAVING STONES SPLIT: PIAZZA SAN MARCO LOSES ITS PIECES

The paving stones have been left because of lack of money for repairs: ‘wounded’ - one of the most famous squares in the world. So far only the foundations of the bell tower have been restored: VENICE. Piazza San Marco IS at risk! Broken stones, damaged paving stones, manhole covers in the marble and deep incisions. One of the great beauties of the world is losing its pieces and no one is doing anything. Maintenance projects are on hold due to lack of money and the situation is getting worse. You only have to walk through the central part of the Piazza and the Piazzetta to see how much the deterioration has advanced in recent months. There are numerous broken and unsafe floorboards in front of the Palazzo Ducale facing the Piazzetta where tens of thousands of tourists walk every day, Fragments of stone are falling on the ground and the stones themselves are being eroded. The great "masegni" paving stones of the 18th century are in very bad condition, also the “ salizoni” (the irregular-shaped paving stones) which constitute the original flooring designed by Andrea Tirali in 1723. One of the most beautiful places in the world is falling into ruin and everything is at a standstill. The Water Authority lacks money for any extra assistance. They have managed to finance the restoration of the foundations of the bell tower (6 and a half million) using deep excavations and a ring of cement and titanium in the subsoil but , says the vice-president of The Water Authority, Luigi Mayerle. "We can restore the paving stones in that area but we can’t do anything about the rest.” In the meantime, the scars are getting worse. There are clearly visible incisions in the precious pavement of the Square due to trucks and heavy machinery used for concerts. "The causes of the deterioration are many, starting with the lack of maintenance," says Claudio Menichelli, responsible for the administration of the area of piazza San Marco, "The increase of high tides in the last two years is also a factor '. Other causes are nearby works with more and more trucks and large machinery. passing through the square not in compliance with its regulations. The only thing that is certain at the moment is that a large part of the original stone flooring is now at high risk and restoration is slow in coming. And to think that Tirali, the architect of the pavement of San Marco was part of The Water Authority three centuries ago!