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Photo: The Basilica of San Marco
Photo: The Basilica of San Marco at night
WALLPAPER
Photograph by Sam Abell
Mirrored in troubling waters, the Basilica of San Marco floats over the central square, Venice's lowest point. High waters are a recurring fact of life in the city, which has sunk five inches [13 centimeters] during the past century even as the sea has risen four [10 centimeters]. Venice is still sinking, albeit more slowly.

—From "Venice: More Than a Dream," February 1995, National Geographic magazine.
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