How Italy Built 78 Underwater Gates to Stop Venice From Drowning

Italy built a wall to save Venice — and you can't see it. Seventy-eight steel gates lie hidden on the seabed at the three entrances to the Venetian lagoon. When the Adriatic surges, compressed air lifts them out of the water to shut the sea out. In November 2019, the sea flooded more than 85% of Venice, at a level just short of the 1966 record. The barrier was 94% complete — and still lying on the seabed. Eleven months later, on October 3, 2020, the gates rose for the first time against a real high tide, and St Mark's Square stayed dry. In this documentary, we go inside the engineering behind MOSE: the giant concrete caissons floated out and sunk into the seabed, the hollow gates that rise when air pushes the water out, the years of delays and scandal, and the hard question now facing Venice as sea levels keep rising — how many times can a city close its doors to the sea? ⏱ Chapters 0:00 A wall you can't see 0:28 The three doors of Venice 2:39 Hiding a wall under the sea 6:57 Finished — and still on the seabed 10:40 October 3, 2020: the gates rise 14:39 The question that remains Visuals in this video are CGI and AI-generated reconstructions for illustration, not archival footage. #Venice #Engineering #MegaProjects #Italy #Documentary DISCLAIMER ____________________________________ This is not engineering advice. Everything here is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Contact an engineer licensed to practice in your area if you need professional advice or services. All non-licensed clips used for fair use commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.