Venice police probe bright green liquid in Grand Canal

Police in Venice are investigating the source of a phosphorescent green liquid patch that has appeared in the city’s famed Grand Canal.

May 29, 2023, updated May 22, 2025
Gondolas navigate by the Rialto Bridge on Venice's historical Grand Canal as a patch of phosphorescent green liquid spreads in it. (AP Photo/Luigi Costantini)
Gondolas navigate by the Rialto Bridge on Venice's historical Grand Canal as a patch of phosphorescent green liquid spreads in it. (AP Photo/Luigi Costantini)

Veneto region governor, Luca Zaia, posted a photo of the liquid that spread through the water near the arched Rialto Bridge. The patch was reported by residents.

Images on social media show a bright patch of green in the canal along an embankment lined with restaurants.

Zaia said officials had requested the police investigate to determine who was responsible.

According to La Repubblica newspaper, the green substance is harmless and could be one of the liquids used by experts to trace water leaks.

The Regional Agency for Environmental Protection and Prevention of the Veneto (ARPAV) has begun analysing the substance to verify its composition.

Italian media recalled late Argentine artist Nicolas Garcia Uriburu who poured a glowing green liquid into the Grand Canal in 1968 to promote ecological awareness during the Venice Biennale.

 

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