Acqua Alta

Following the exceptional high tide that hit Venice on November 12th 2020, the Global Shapers - Venice Hub wanted to contribute to the restoration of the city, activating a fundraising campaign in favour of the Fondazione Querini Stampalia, one of its most prestigious cultural venues. The high water caused extensive damage to the Foundation's library collection as well as the deterioration of the building itself: the loss amounted to half a million. The institution's book archives were particularly affected, requiring more than 170,000 euros in restoration costs. The campaign collected spontaneous donations of over € 3,000, which contributed to the restoration of 600 linear metres of a comprehensive collection of rare art publications, miscellaneous pieces from the late 19th century, and a vast collection of modern literature, trade magazines, and periodicals. The damaged books and miscellaneous undergo a special process of restoration in a highly specialised centre in Italy for disaster recovery of books, one of the few in Europe.

The goal of the project was to restore cultural heritage damaged due to the the high tide of the lagoon city.