How has the wood endured the years? You might think the material would have decayed, leaving the whole city to crumble into the canals. In fact, the water around Venice is low in oxygen and so the conditions aren’t viable for microorganisms that may break down the wood. What’s more, the saltwater has meant that salt and other minerals have been absorbed, hardening the wood into a stone-strength material.

Gondoliers are disappearing. The boats and the professionals who steer them are disappearing. You need a professional license to become a gondolier and only about three or four are granted each year. It takes 400 hours of training to get one – as well as the requirement to pass an exam on Venetian history and architecture.

Little surprise, then, that the number of gondolas you see gliding up and down the canals is also shrinking. In the 17th and 18th centuries, as many as 10,000 gondolas filled those waterways. In modern times, only around 400 are still touring the watery routes – and almost all are used for tourism.

The word quartantine comes from the Italian word quaranta – meaning 40. Ships docking in Venice would also bring diseases with them and outbreaks could follow. So ships would be required to sit offshore for 40 days until they could be sure no disease was being introduced to the city.