Glass barriers keep St Mark’s Basilica dry during Venice floods

Simple structures protect 900-year-old church from seawater that previously proved damaging

It is a simple solution, but one that may keep the marble columns and valuable mosaics of St Mark's Basilica in Venice 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.