City Fit for a Pope Venice 24/7

Venice, one of the most stunning cities on Earth.

Over 50,000 tourists arrive here each day for the Carnevale,

culture and canals.

But what they don't see is how this city works.

This is Venice from the inside.

Around the clock,

emergency teams fight to keep a city built on water safe and working.

With unprecedented access to police, fire and medical teams,

we come face to face with the unique daily challenges

and life-and-death drama.

Up to yesterday evening, she was all right

and this morning, she was found not responsive.

This is Venice 24/7, where the ordinary becomes extraordinary.

It's spring in Venice and hot on the heels of Carnevale,

the tourist season is in full swing.

But this year, the city is bracing itself for one very special guest.

In 48 hours, the Pope is paying a visit.

Catholicism is still a dominant force here.

The city is steeped in symbols bearing the names of saints.

There are more than 100 churches in just a three-mile stretch.

This pontiff will be the first to come here in 26 years

for the two-day visit.

The whole of Venice is on red alert.

On the Grand Canal, station chief Stefano Parma

and Alessandra Bassa, one of the country's first female fire chiefs,

are en route to St Mark's Square.

Now we are going to get to San Marco.

We will have the Pope here in Venice.

And so we have to check the last details about our organisation,

with regard to the rescue of the population.

St Mark is Venice's patron saint

and is said to have used the city as a base to preach the Gospel.

St Mark's Square is at the heart of Venetian Catholicism.

With so many people in the same place,

even something really not so bad

can be a problem.

In just 48 hours, the whole city will be closed down.

The shops closed because of security, of course.

And a crowd of people here in Venice,

probably it is the same amount of people

that usually is in Venice, I mean, in the whole city

but on Saturday, they will be

probably all here in Piazza San Marco.

The Pope's route around the square

is carefully marked out with security barriers.

Say the first official meeting with the population will be here,

will take place here.

Because here, the Pope, probably over there,

will leave the boat.

And then, he will be here,

he will...have a little speech with the population.

But with an event as large as this,

there are also more serious risks to take into account.

Following months of preparation,

the chief commanders of Venice's police and fire services

will be coordinating 2,000 security personnel.

The Pope arrives in two days' time.

With the Papal visit taking place

just a few days after the shooting of Osama bin Laden,

security forces are on the highest alert.

For Venice's police, such as Chief Commissioner Susanna Simone,

the multi-million pound operation must run like clockwork.

The Papal visit is aimed at speaking directly to Venice's Catholics

and to highlight the city's religious history.

At least three popes were born here.

The religious freedoms the city allowed during its long republic

led to a fractious relationship with the Vatican.

Today, almost a third of Venice's population is elderly

and not everyone will be out on the street to welcome the Pontiff.

Many will watch the visit on television.

That's provided the aerials are working.

The fire team, led by Giuliano Manari, has been called out.

Not a life and death emergency,

but vital to resolve on this important day.

The team must remove the aerial altogether

before another gust of wind knocks it into the courtyard.

Attached to ancient, often decrepit roofs,

it doesn't take much to knock a TV aerial loose in Venice.

As Venetian homes are hundreds of years old,

the roofs, often badly maintained, can be precarious.

After a skilled balancing act,

the team finish the job.

But not everyone will be happy with the outcome.

Not far from St Mark's Square, business is booming

for some of Venice's most recognisable figures,

the gondolieri.

But for Giampaolo D'este and brothers Franco and Bruno de Rossi,

the Pope's visit is about more than extra tourists.

These are three of the four gondoliers selected out of 400

by a specially appointed panel.

As well as over 70 years' collective experience,

there is a rich family heritage.

At the docks on the city's west side,

brought from over 150 miles away,

local police are about to unload the Venetian Popemobile,

a converted six-seater golf buggy.

Local police commissioner Giordano Zuin is overseeing the delivery.

In his 31-year career in Venice's police force,

this is his first experience of papal transport.

The job of driving the buggy with His Holiness aboard

falls to local police driver Francesco Martucci.

With over 30 years in the force, he was chosen for his VIP experience.

The police hope they can get the buggy to St Mark's Square

without damaging it.

The Pope's first appearance in the city

will involve a ten-minute tour of St Mark's Square in the buggy

for the benefit of the crowds.

Venice hasn't always welcomed the Pontiff.

During the Counter-Reformation in the 17th century,

Venice refused to execute heretics as the Vatican had ordered.

They adopted a more liberal approach,

which pitted them against the powers of Rome.

Francesco familiarises himself with the route.

This special Popemobile weighs half as much as an average car

and has been designed not to damage the paving stones

in St Mark's Square.

It's just hours until His Holiness arrives.

Every corner of the city is being given over to the preparations.

On the east side of St Mark's Square,

the 14th-century Doge's Palace has been requisitioned.

What was once the residence of Venice's head of state

and the place from which the republic was ruled

is today being turned into a mobile hospital.

In charge of the paramedics is Dr Michele Alzetta,

a Venetian who studied in South Africa.

For the Pope's visit, we are expecting a lot more work

because there are going to be a lot more people in Venice.

But anyway, we've organised a very complex system

so we believe we will be able to face it successfully.

For 48 hours, this building will become a modern medical facility.

Tonnes of equipment have been moved in to create a field hospital,

including an intensive care area.

This being Venice,

the emergency teams have an extra level of concern.

People falling into canals is still a frequent occurrence

because people get drunk and the canals don't have barriers, usually.

Unfortunately, finding a dead body in a canal is not a rare occurrence.

Out in the lagoon, the fire teams are practising crucial rescue drills

in anticipation of tomorrow's Papal visit.

They're being put through their paces by Mauro Masin,

a father of two with over 15 years' experience in the fire brigade.

With less than a day to go before the Pope arrives,

the specially-selected gondoliers have to smarten up their act.

It's the morning of the historic visit

and the crowd is beginning to gather.

Venice's security forces carry out one final security sweep.

On the ground, specially trained policemen patrol

and scan every inch of the square.

On the roofs and in the skies above,

all eyes are focused on the crowd below.

In a few moments' time, the city will be on lockdown.

Local police chief Giordano has a final word with his team.

As well as the police units on the ground and in the air,

the Vatican's own security team provide a serious presence.

CROWD CHEERS AND APPLAUDS

Finally, after 26 years and meticulous preparation,

Pope Benedict XVI makes his appearance.

The speech lasts around ten minutes

and Francesco's big moment is upon him.

He steers the Pontiff slowly around the square to greet the crowds.

The ten-minute trip ends at the Doge's Palace,

where the Pope will spend the night.

The next morning, while most of Venice carries on as normal,

paramedic Ada Scalpa and her team

have been called out to the district of Dorsoduro.

A 75-year-old man is having trouble breathing.

The man already has a history of heart problems,

so Ada needs to check just how severe the situation is.

The elderly couple lives alone

so the team want to take the man to A&E

to have the cause of his symptoms investigated further.

At the hospital, the man will be seen by a cardiac specialist

to establish the cause of his breathing problems.

Across Venice,

the authorities are gearing up for the Pope's second day.

Today, they must close the Grand Canal.

The Pope will be taken along the canal and through the city,

finally arriving in St Mark's Square.

The procession will be led by Giordano.

Since Giordano will be out with the Pope's escort,

responsibility for closing the Grand Canal to all boats

will be delegated to his second-in-command,

Giovanni Cassadei.

It's like closing down the city's lifeline.

With around 35,000 boat journeys made in Venice every day,

closing its main transport artery is not going to be easy.

WHISTLE BLOWS

Sealing off the canal to incoming boats is complicated

as hundreds of smaller waterways lead into it.

Giovanni has managed to clear the canal.

For possibly the first time since the very foundation of Venice,

the Grand Canal is completely still.

The Pope is just moments away.

At last, the Pontiff makes his journey down the Grand Canal.

This is the first chance for the entire city

to catch a glimpse of Benedict XVI.

For the final leg of his journey downriver,

the Pope transfers to an open-topped gondola.

This is when the Pontiff is at his most vulnerable.

BELLS CHIME

For this moment,

gondoliers Giampaolo, Franco and Bruno are his closest protection.

The gondoliers raise their oars in the traditional salute.

In return for their efforts,

the gondoliers get their much-hoped-for blessing.

We're with the port authorities, as they lead a 300m-long cruise liner

through the delicate historic centre.

And it's a case of make or break,

as priceless works of art arrive for the city's world famous Biennale.

Now we still have to take it out of the crate

and move it on the platform.

Of course, it will be not easy.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd