The 100-year-old books salvaged
from Venice's floods
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Anna Bressanin
Patrizia Zelano and Zamagni Arte, Rimini
(Credit: Patrizia Zelano and Zamagni Arte, Rimini)
A full Moon, strong winds and a vicious cyclone
combined to hit Venice with its second-worst flood in
history in 2019. Today, books saved from the water tell
a story of loss and resistance.
On the night of 12 November 2019, photographer Patrizia Zelano saw the tragic
news that one of the worst floods had hit Venice. The next morning, she left her
home in Rimini, drove two-and-a-half hours north-east, parked on the mainland,
and finally arrived by train to the stricken city, which was still in a state of
emergency.
Due to a perfect storm of factors – a sirocco wind surge combined with a full
Moon tidal peak and a fast-moving cyclone – the sea level had risen by 1.89m
and 85% of the centre of the city had gone underwater. The disaster was second
only to the catastrophic 1966 Acqua Granda, which first called the world's
attention to the issue of Venice's survival.
On her two-day adventure, Zelano salvaged 40 books. Though most are now
unreadable, her photographs of the ruined books tell the story of the fragility of
the lagoon and its cultural heritage – as well as a push towards possible
solutions.
Patrizia Zelano and Zamagni Arte, Rimini
(Credit: Patrizia Zelano and Zamagni Arte, Rimini)
Wearing rubber boots, Zelano waded from the train station through Strada
Nova, which was still about 40cm (1ft 3in) underwater. She went to the house
of a friend of a friend. The tide had retreated by the time she got there. "All sorts
of objects, pieces of furniture, chairs, were piled up, like trash, everything was
completely drenched," she tells the BBC. As the homeowners were busy saving
the salvageable, Zelano focused on their books, which struck her as beautiful in
their decay and symbolism. One of the books from the house (pictured above)
looks like "an archeological find from the Stone Age," she says. "It doesn't open
anymore, it's cemented."
Patrizia Zelano and Zamagni Arte, Rimini
(Credit: Patrizia Zelano and Zamagni Arte, Rimini)
Zelano decided that she needed to save more books. She called Lino Frizzo, a
bookseller in Venice, whose store is aptly called Acqua Alta, "high water", the
Venetian name for floods. Frizzo recently told her that, because of the hectic
activity of those days, he doesn't remember her being there. Together with his
employees, they worked non-stop to clean up and save the inventory. They gave
Zelano books beyond repair. Most were from the early 1900s, which for Italian
and Venetian standards is old but not antique. They were beautiful though, like
this poetry anthology which had a lush red fabric cover. "An injured book", says
Zelano.
Patrizia Zelano and Zamagni Arte, Rimini
(Credit: Patrizia Zelano and Zamagni Arte, Rimini)
Zelano took 40 books and put them in big black plastic bags. At 55 years of age,
she was alone on this trip. "There was no way I could carry them all by myself,
and it was hard to find people to help." She stopped a gondoliere on the canal
and convinced him to take her back to the station by gondola. "Some of the
books, like this one, would crumble just at the touch of my hand," she says.
"You see the hole to the right." She adds that this particular volume looks
precious, like lace, and that one day she would love to explore the fantastical
words created by the fragments of several pages pressed together.
Patrizia Zelano and Zamagni Arte, Rimini
(Credit: Patrizia Zelano and Zamagni Arte, Rimini)
Back home in her studio, Zelano, who had been a student of the Italian
photography master Guido Guidi, photographed the books using only natural
light. She didn't open them but placed them just there as they were. This one
was a Treccani encyclopedia from 1949. "I like that [on the top right-hand
corner] you can see the image of a genie, a Pagan entity. It's the Genius of the
Catacombs of Domitilla in Rome, who is a symbol of protection, and that is
reassuring to me."
Patrizia Zelano and Zamagni Arte, Rimini
(Credit: Patrizia Zelano and Zamagni Arte, Rimini)
The shape of another encyclopedia Treccani volume from 1951 reminded her of
sea waves. Events like the 2019 are expected to happen increasingly
often because of rising sea levels and the city's subsidence. With these photos,
Zelano wants to create "a eulogy to culture, to our history. They practically
enshrine cultural memory, universal knowledge. So, there is loss. But with this
photograph, there is healing, and there is also resistance".
Patrizia Zelano and Zamagni Arte, Rimini
(Credit: Patrizia Zelano and Zamagni Arte, Rimini)
"This book is crying. You see the tear?" says Zelano. The encyclopedic volume
was still wet when she took the picture, so much so that a drop of water is
visible in the front. Its shape is a metaphor of the tidal movement of the sea. In
2024, global sea levels rose by around 5.9mm (0.23in) a year according to
Nasa, though rates vary in different oceans. In addition, Venice is losing around
1.5mm a year through land subsidence.
Patrizia Zelano and Zamagni Arte, Rimini
(Credit: Patrizia Zelano and Zamagni Arte, Rimini)
"I put these books together and they look like waves, or like letters written
down, or you can see heart shapes," says Zelano. She wishes she could have
carried more books home. "When we experience personal or environmental
storms, we are able to understand what we need to save, that is, what is
indispensable to us."
Patrizia Zelano and Zamagni Arte, Rimini
(Credit: Patrizia Zelano and Zamagni Arte, Rimini)
These encyclopedias of art history from 1978 showcase the work of iconic 18th
Century Venetian artist Canaletto, who painted the city's most famous views.
After the catastrophic events of 2018 and 2019, Venetians accept floods as part
of their life, especially in autumn. But they are aware that the city's Mose
flooding defense system controlling the tides, is only a partial solution.
Patrizia Zelano and Zamagni Arte, Rimini
(Credit: Patrizia Zelano and Zamagni Arte, Rimini)
"Photography is fundamental because it can bear witness, but at the same time
also evoke something else," says Zelano. "It opens up new perspectives, new
thoughts. Mine is a symbolic work, meant to provoke reflection. A visual
memory, where photography preserves knowledge and transforms destruction
into hope and meaning. It is a form of awareness aimed at finding solutions."
Zelano's photographs of the surviving books are celebrated as
part of a major sustainability photography award and
exhibition, the Prix Pictet. Upcoming exhibitions are scheduled
in London
