The regional environmental agency said in a statement that it surveyed the area and took samples from the water. A preliminary analysis suggested there were no substances considered harmful to the environment, the company said. Further tests will be conducted on Monday.
The agency said it suspected the water-soluble powder dye fluorescein was used. It said the material would help in managing sewage systems.
Lined with historic palaces and churches, the Grand Canal is a major waterway that is often crowded with tourists and gondolas. The Rialto Bridge, near where the water turns green, is the oldest crossing on the canal and is known as an icon. Renaissance-age Construction and Technology.
This incident reminded the Argentine artist NICHOLAS GARCIA URIBURU Fluorescein was released on the Grand Canal during the 1968 Venice Biennale. The dye temporarily turned the water phosphorescent, and the act was pitched as a way to promote environmental awareness. On Sunday, local media suggested the environmental group may be responsible.
Venice, which suffered massive flooding in 2019, is one of the most fragile cities in the world. It is particularly threatened by rising sea levels, prompting the city to mount an ambitious $6 billion plan designed to protect it from flooding. The city has instituted strict rules for tourists that officials say will help protect the environment.
A wave of disruptive activities by environmental vigilante groups has recently swept across Europe, including Italy. In May, Activists affiliated with the climate action group Last Generation entered Rome’s Trevi Fountain, a popular tourist attraction, and poured diluted charcoal into the water to protest the use of fossil fuels and highlight recent flooding in northern Italy that killed at least 13 people. They were arrested and faced charges of vandalism.
The group has often staged what it describes as acts of civil disobedience in Italy’s main tourist destinations. Spray paint on historic buildings And Throwing soup on a Van Gogh painting.
