0:00:05 > 0:00:09Venice, one of the most stunning cities on earth.
0:00:09 > 0:00:14Over 50,000 tourists arrive here each day for the carnival,
0:00:14 > 0:00:17culture and canals.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19But what they don't see is how this city works,
0:00:19 > 0:00:22this is Venice from the inside.
0:00:24 > 0:00:29Around the clock, emergency teams fight to keep a city built on water safe and working.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32BELL RINGING
0:00:32 > 0:00:35With unprecedented access to police, fire, and medical teams,
0:00:35 > 0:00:38we come face-to-face with the unique daily challenges,
0:00:38 > 0:00:41and life-and-death drama.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44Up to yesterday evening she was all right,
0:00:44 > 0:00:46and this morning she was found not responsive.
0:00:46 > 0:00:51This is Venice 24/7, where the ordinary becomes extraordinary.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06It's summer in Venice, and the canals are congested
0:01:06 > 0:01:10with around 35,000 motorboats travelling through the waterways.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13The high volume of traffic takes its toll on the historic city,
0:01:13 > 0:01:17as the choppy waters erode canal banks and the foundations beneath.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23But each year,
0:01:23 > 0:01:27the canals are cleared to make way for thousands of rowing boats.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31For one day, Venice's motor engines fall silent,
0:01:31 > 0:01:34and the city stops as locals and tourists take to the water
0:01:34 > 0:01:37to celebrate their love for this ancient city.
0:01:43 > 0:01:49The Vogalonga, or long row, is a 37-year-old, non-competitive regatta,
0:01:49 > 0:01:51and people from all over the world sign up to take part.
0:01:53 > 0:01:54First time, and I'm very excited
0:01:54 > 0:01:59because everybody tells me it will be crowded, it'll be crazy.
0:01:59 > 0:02:0434, I was hoping it would be like a thousand and something,
0:02:04 > 0:02:0634, that's a good number.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11Up to 6,000 people are expected to participate this year,
0:02:11 > 0:02:16an all-female rowing team called Viva are regular entrants.
0:02:20 > 0:02:25Team member, Nancy McIlroy from Kentucky, now lives in Venice.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28I've been coming and going for nine years,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31and then decided I just didn't want to be on vacation,
0:02:31 > 0:02:32I really liked this life.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36The things that I really love about Venice
0:02:36 > 0:02:39are not the things I expected, really.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42I mean, I think there's this whole mythological...
0:02:42 > 0:02:45especially, I would say especially Americans because I know them better,
0:02:45 > 0:02:48"Ah, Venizia, Venizia, Venice is so beautiful!"
0:02:48 > 0:02:52Well, it is, but there's so much more
0:02:52 > 0:02:56that's substantial about it, that is to love.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00The women who form Viva are from Venice, Germany and the States,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03and have rowed together for five years.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05They practice five times a week,
0:03:05 > 0:03:09the rowing festival is the culmination of all their hard work.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12There's nothing more Venetian than the Voga.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14My passion is rowing in these canals,
0:03:14 > 0:03:16just think it's fantastic,
0:03:16 > 0:03:21and there are people who row across the lagoon that are 60, 70, 80 years old at their own pace.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26It's the best exercise in the world, it's social, it's civic,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29it's just, it's part of this culture.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31And we just refuse to let it go.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36Open to boats moved by man power only,
0:03:36 > 0:03:38the 19-mile journey is dedicated to raising awareness
0:03:38 > 0:03:42of the damaging effect of motorboats on the city's foundations.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46It's bad for the lagoon, it's bad for the ecology of the lagoon,
0:03:46 > 0:03:50and it's certainly bad for all the infrastructure of the canals,
0:03:50 > 0:03:52all the electricity, it's all underneath.
0:03:52 > 0:03:57And when you go through a canal with this really powerful motor,
0:03:57 > 0:04:02it just sucks, everything about it, it just ruins the infrastructure.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09The speed limit is just three miles an hour,
0:04:09 > 0:04:12the only boats allowed to break it are the emergency services,
0:04:12 > 0:04:15who can travel over 30 miles an hour.
0:04:15 > 0:04:21At the Venice fire station, shift boss, Giuliano Meinardi and his team get a callout.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34There are 90,000 logs marking the waterways in Venice,
0:04:34 > 0:04:36but the exposed wood rots quickly, causing them to detach,
0:04:36 > 0:04:40creating a floating hazard for river traffic.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54They try to put it up onto the boat, but it's too heavy.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59So, an alternative solution is found.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07The team drag the log to shore, where they can secure it,
0:05:07 > 0:05:09out of the way of passing traffic.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30Stopping this ancient city from crumbling into the water
0:05:30 > 0:05:33is a problem faced by every Venetian.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Local police Commissioner, Giordano Zwinn,
0:05:39 > 0:05:41is only too aware of his responsibility.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41Reducing the speed of the boats
0:06:41 > 0:06:43helps reduce the wave motion on the canals,
0:06:43 > 0:06:46and it's up to local police to enforce these limits.
0:06:48 > 0:06:53A high-tech network of 40 cameras in key positions across the city
0:06:53 > 0:06:56is used to catch offenders breaking the speed limit along the Grand Canal.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29A virtual map tracks the traffic in Venice's historic centre,
0:07:29 > 0:07:31with a dot representing each boat,
0:07:31 > 0:07:35green for a boat travelling within the speed limit,
0:07:35 > 0:07:39yellow as soon as it's broken, and red for a speeding offence.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31Controlling the canals and protecting the city is an age-old problem.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38Venice grew over a millennium,
0:08:38 > 0:08:42houses and palaces were built on wooden piles driven into the mud,
0:08:42 > 0:08:44and tightly packed with clay.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47It was from this floating city that the maritime power,
0:08:47 > 0:08:50the Serenissima Republic, was born.
0:08:51 > 0:08:56Today, the city's modern utilities are buried in these ancient foundations.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00From the sewage system, to electric power lines and fibre-optic cables,
0:09:00 > 0:09:04the life of the city depends on maintaining the structures it was built on.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15Erosion repairs are constant,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18whole canals must be blocked off and drained, so the work can be done.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24Engineer, Adriano Ecole, works with the team at Insula,
0:09:24 > 0:09:28a public company formed to carry out vital maintenance.
0:09:28 > 0:09:33For them, the traditional ways are often still the best.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50Two walls of wood or metal, are filled with tonnes of clay,
0:09:50 > 0:09:55these dams are placed at each end of the section of the canal to be drained.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05Vital work needs to be done as cracks and crumbling plaster
0:10:05 > 0:10:07will appear in the building above,
0:10:07 > 0:10:12but in Venice, even a simple repair becomes a massive job.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32Once the canal is drained all the way down
0:10:32 > 0:10:35the damage to the buildings becomes evident.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45Sometimes, whole sections of the wall are in such a bad state
0:10:45 > 0:10:47that they have to be removed.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49But the teams must work quickly,
0:10:49 > 0:10:53as once the wooden foundations are exposed to air, they begin to rot.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Using a process called scuci-cuci, meaning patch up,
0:11:03 > 0:11:05the broken masonry must be made secure.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16It takes three months to repair 50 metres of canal.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21It's a time-consuming job, and there's no shortage of work.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39As the day of the regatta approaches,
0:11:39 > 0:11:41the weather takes a turn for the worse.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43Despite the adverse conditions,
0:11:43 > 0:11:48the women of Viva take to the water for some last-minute practice.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50They're rowing in a caorlina,
0:11:50 > 0:11:53a traditional, hand made Venetian fishing boat,
0:11:53 > 0:11:57whose flat bottom makes it perfect for the shallow waters.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59Up! Up!
0:11:59 > 0:12:00Up!
0:12:09 > 0:12:11But after less than an hour on the canals,
0:12:11 > 0:12:14the team decides to abandon practice.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17Did you feel the wind that just came, just across?
0:12:17 > 0:12:19We were just, I could never row,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22neither could Adele who was in the same position I was in the other boat.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25We never rowed, if we rowed the boat just..."newwwh!"
0:12:25 > 0:12:26This is like the theatre, you know,
0:12:26 > 0:12:30when the rehearsal goes poorly, the opening night usually goes well.
0:12:30 > 0:12:35We hope that's what it is, ha, we hope.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49As the city prepares for the Vogalonga,
0:12:49 > 0:12:52policeman, Andrea Silveri is on duty,
0:12:52 > 0:12:56making sure that only licensed drivers are using the canals.
0:13:11 > 0:13:1448,000 boats are officially allowed in the historic centre,
0:13:14 > 0:13:18but during the busy summer, unlicensed ones can slip through the net.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41It seems the boat this man is driving doesn't have a Venetian licence.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47This time, the driver gets away with a fine and a warning.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52But the fight to protect Venice
0:13:52 > 0:13:54isn't just about controlling the canals.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57Outside the historic centre,
0:13:57 > 0:14:00there's also an unprecedented engineering project underway.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05Out in the Venice lagoon,
0:14:05 > 0:14:08they're working around the clock on the MOSE,
0:14:08 > 0:14:11the biggest anti-flood project of its kind in the world.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17Flood defences will be built in the three inlets at Lido,
0:14:17 > 0:14:18Malomocco and Chioggia.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21These will form a protective barrier
0:14:21 > 0:14:24between Venice's historic centre and the sea.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28At high tide, steel gates will rise
0:14:28 > 0:14:31by pushing water out with compressed air.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35These barriers will then stop the water from flooding the city.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39These gates will be housed in concrete structures called caissons,
0:14:39 > 0:14:41a kind of watertight box on the seabed.
0:14:42 > 0:14:47Enrico Pellegrini is working in a 250 strong team.
0:14:47 > 0:14:54The shape you can see here is the recess of the gates themselves,
0:14:54 > 0:14:58which will be installed on the caissons,
0:14:58 > 0:15:01once the caisson is on the bottom of the sea.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05These enormous frames are designed by an Italian engineering company,
0:15:05 > 0:15:07are unique to Venice.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10They're now ready to be lowered into the water.
0:15:10 > 0:15:15The fate of the entire project rests on this operation.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19The thing is, that, we have to take these concrete caissons,
0:15:19 > 0:15:26which are very big, 50 metres by 60 metres, by more than 10 metres in height,
0:15:26 > 0:15:30and they weigh around 20 to 23,000 tonnes.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33We have to take them from the prefabrication yard
0:15:33 > 0:15:35and launch them into the water.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39The frames or be transported via a railway system.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43These carriages, which can push the equivalent weight of a Boeing 747,
0:15:43 > 0:15:47will take the frames to a heavy lifting platform for the next stage.
0:15:48 > 0:15:54At that point, we will transfer all the load on the platform,
0:15:54 > 0:15:58and this platform is going to be lowered, very slowly of course,
0:15:58 > 0:16:02until the caissons itself, it will start floating,
0:16:02 > 0:16:07because the caissons, it's a box, it's an empty box actually,
0:16:07 > 0:16:10even if it's a concrete, it's also very, very heavy.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13Anyway, it's a box, and will start floating at a certain point.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17From here, the frame is tugged out to the point in the lagoon
0:16:17 > 0:16:20where the barrier will be constructed.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24Once in place, it will lift to form a dam between Venice and the sea.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28The whole operation takes around a week.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31Due to the precision of what we have to achieve,
0:16:31 > 0:16:37we are also operating at -30, -24, -30 metres underwater,
0:16:37 > 0:16:41into a channel where the tide and the currant are very strong.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44So, this is the thing,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47it's the precision we have to achieve is very, very strict.
0:16:49 > 0:16:54Enrico and the team have a total of 18 frames to construct.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56As it takes a year to make each one,
0:16:56 > 0:16:59they are working on 13 simultaneously.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04The race is on to complete the project, without it,
0:17:04 > 0:17:09Venice will continue to be at the mercy of rising sea levels.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21At the Venice fire station, the team is taking a well earned break,
0:17:21 > 0:17:24while one of their old colleagues returns for a visit.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33Veteran fireman, Lele Tale Pietre, retired four months ago,
0:17:33 > 0:17:37and has come back to see how his former team are doing.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59But for those on duty, there is no glass of fizz
0:17:59 > 0:18:02as it's not long until the next emergency callout.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09Rough weather overnight has sunk a boat moored in a private dock.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12And the owner has been unable to retrieve it himself.
0:18:24 > 0:18:29Using pumps which can move 2,500 litres of water a minute,
0:18:29 > 0:18:30they try to bail the boat out.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44Every time they start pumping the water out,
0:18:44 > 0:18:46more starts pouring into the back-end of the boat.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59With the back-end made watertight,
0:18:59 > 0:19:02they start to pump water out of the sunken boat again.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13Finally, with the boat bailed out, they managed to pull it free from the mud,
0:19:13 > 0:19:14and tow it to a winch close by.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25Job completed, the team head back to the station,
0:19:25 > 0:19:27where it's time to check their equipment.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01It's the day of the Vogalonga.
0:20:01 > 0:20:02Since early morning
0:20:02 > 0:20:06the Grand Canal has been filling with thousands of rowers.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20Organiser Antonio Rosa Salva, the son of the regatta's founder,
0:20:20 > 0:20:23has spent the morning making sure everything is in order.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25He's even managed to fix the weather.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40The boats assemble at the start line,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43including Nancy's rowing team.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51Starting in the St Mark's Basin,
0:20:51 > 0:20:53the route heads out in the direction of Burano,
0:20:53 > 0:20:56then back through the main canal of Murano,
0:20:56 > 0:20:59before re-entering the historic centre at Cannaregio.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03For the duration of the regatta,
0:21:03 > 0:21:05the canal is closed to all motor traffic,
0:21:05 > 0:21:07with one exception.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13In his powerboat, Coast Guard, Alessandro Visentine,
0:21:13 > 0:21:16must take sure the regatta goes without a hitch.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20But within minutes, the first emergency call arrives.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30SIRENS
0:21:36 > 0:21:40On arrival, they discover that it's a man overboard,
0:21:40 > 0:21:41rather than a capsised boat.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56Luckily for the Vogalonga rowers,
0:21:56 > 0:22:01the regatta is heavily monitored by all of Venice's emergency services.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14CHEERING
0:22:18 > 0:22:21Almost everyone is busy with the Vogalonga,
0:22:21 > 0:22:24things at the Venice hospital are a bit quieter than usual.
0:22:26 > 0:22:31But not long into the shift, there's an emergency call.
0:22:31 > 0:22:32SIRENS
0:22:42 > 0:22:45Avoiding the busiest route, and travelling near empty side canals,
0:22:45 > 0:22:48it doesn't take the team long to arrive.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05It seems this lady already has a serious lung condition,
0:23:05 > 0:23:08in order to try and establish the cause of her complaint,
0:23:08 > 0:23:10the paramedics need to run a set of tests.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44Given lady's age and medical history,
0:23:44 > 0:23:49the team wants to take her back to hospital to run more in-depth tests.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Out in the lagoon, keeping the canals clear for the regatta
0:23:54 > 0:23:56is still keeping Alessandro busy.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07But Alessandro isn't just dealing with wayward motorboats,
0:24:07 > 0:24:10one of the rowers has been taken ill.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17The paramedics have been called,
0:24:17 > 0:24:21but the ambulance is making slow progress through the thousands of boats.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32This man's blood pressure is dangerously high,
0:24:32 > 0:24:36so the paramedics take him straight to the hospital.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05The Vogalonga is progressing into the afternoon,
0:25:05 > 0:25:08for Nancy and her team, it's time to gather some energy
0:25:08 > 0:25:10before pushing towards the finish line.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38The regatta is over halfway through,
0:25:38 > 0:25:41and the canals are increasingly congested.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52Despite the fact this is a peaceful rowing event,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55the motorboats still keep coming.
0:26:12 > 0:26:13In Cannaregio,
0:26:13 > 0:26:17the rowers are starting to arrive from the open lagoon.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20The course becomes much more crowded as rowers jostle for position
0:26:20 > 0:26:23to pass under the Three Arches Bridge,
0:26:23 > 0:26:25towards the finish line.
0:26:25 > 0:26:26Among them, the Viva rowing team.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42And with seconds until the canon marks the regatta's end,
0:26:42 > 0:26:47the man who fell in has made it back, just in time.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50CANON FIRES
0:27:26 > 0:27:29SINGING IN ITALIAN
0:27:35 > 0:27:40With the Vogalonga over, Venice's canals return to the 21st century,
0:27:40 > 0:27:42motorboats and all.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45The truth is there's a place for all the boats in this lagoon,
0:27:45 > 0:27:48but they have to slow down, they have to slow down,
0:27:48 > 0:27:49it's better for the lagoon,
0:27:49 > 0:27:52and it's certainly better to maintain this tradition of the Voga.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59In the final episode,
0:27:59 > 0:28:02the biggest event in Venice's calendar arrives,
0:28:02 > 0:28:04the Redentore.
0:28:07 > 0:28:12And a bridge is built across the Guidecca Canal in just a day.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16As thousands of boats and revellers throng the water,
0:28:16 > 0:28:19the emergency services struggle to be heard.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28And Venice's final party of the season goes off with a bang.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd