Unlike many cities in Europe, Venice has never been sacked or pillaged and much of it remains as it was in 1400. As a man-made island, it grew as a prime stop on the historic trade route between Europe and Asia in the Middle Ages and became famous as a world center for the arts. Many of its remarkable buildings, built on marble foundations supported by pylons, remain; its residents are still getting around on foot or by boat, with not a car in sight; and much of its renowned art is still hung in original locations.

At the same time, however, Venice is changing rapidly in the modern era, with its delicate ecology threatened by an increasing depletion of natural resources and a slowly rising sea. Maintaining Venice’s vital tourist economy has not always coincided with the need to manage the changing circumstances of its environment; recent efforts to build floodgates and protect the city from sinking have been mired in politics and lack of resources. A living museum that is also home to over 300,000 people, contemporary Venice is a unique environment in which to explore the complexities of ecological and cultural change.