Fires, floods, pollution and depopulation all threaten Venice. The picturesque sights of sun glinting on the waves, elegant villas and ornate bridges are rarely associated with oil spills, petrol refineries and other hazards that pollute the lagoon. Neither would tourists expect to see noisy diggers dredging up mud from the canal floor in an attempt to protect buildings from flood damage. More worrying is the possibility that Venice will turn into nothing more than a touristic showpiece. Local families are leaving Venice for an easier life on the mainland. Survivors like the Farinati family live in a city where there are no cars, no supermarkets and very few schools. Mr Farinati, who runs a glass restoration business, has to heave sheets of glass off a boat, along a wood plank and then through a window before he can start work. Tourists in Venice far outnumber the residents. Venetians are an endangered species and their survival depends upon finding a solution to the many problems.

Produced by ABC Australia