When Venice was the center of a vast empire, this was the center of Venice. Vessels would sail hundreds of miles across the Adriatic to call on this port. The Serenissima (Serene Republic) stretched far into the Mediterranean and Baltic states. These days the sailors are mostly gone, and the square is patrolled by tourists and pigeons. In fact, the birds are such a draw that the city actually feeds them every morning. When Napoleon arrived here in 1797 he declared it the "world's most beautiful drawing room." And in true Napoleonic style, he ordered a church be demolished so he could add his own personal touch to the area. The result is the Fabbrica Nuova (New Building), which in an architectural stroke of luck, manages to unify the sometimes disparate styles of the surrounding buildings. The plaza is actually slightly wider at the end with Saint Mark's Basilica, giving the illusion that it is larger than it really is. Like the rest of Venice, Piazza San Marco is prone to flooding (as in this photo). And because of its proximity to open water it often takes the brunt of the surges.

• 10 December, 2001 - The Italian government has given the green light to Project Moses. The US$2,600,000.00 plan will erect mobile tide barriers around the city of Venice. More and more frequently Venice is suffering from the effects of high tides which regularly put its famed plazas under water and threaten other homes and businesses. Environmentalists have tried to block the plan to stop the Adriatic tides, but have been overruled.

Photograph courtesy Philip Greenspun.