At school, the teacher is telling the story of Venice.

"Venice was born on the sea," she says. "A long time ago Venice was one of the most important cities in Italy. Its boats traveled far away and the merchants brought back lots of precious objects like gold, silk and spices. And so Venice soon became very rich and very powerful, and its people wanted to live in wonderful palaces.

"To protect the city from the waters of the sea, they decided to build the houses, the churches, the port and the monuments on stilts — on huge wooden poles driven one by one into the bed of the lagoon. And they were right, for over the centuries, Venice with its narrow streets, churches, bridges and small squares, and its beautiful houses, Venice with its gondolas, canals, arcades and statues, with its lovely balconies... Venice was like a dream, like a paradise set upon the water. But one terrible day the sea began to rise and, little by little, despite the stilts, the sea crept in between the houses. One day, Venice will be completely covered in water.

"One day, Venice will disappear forever at the bottom of the sea..." The children listen attentively, and the teacher adds: "Take pencil and paper, brushes and colors... try to imagine what Venice will be like tomorrow... Try to draw Venice under the sea!"