The wonders of the Northern Adriatic seafloor: from discovery to preservation

2 June 2025

In the early afternoon at the Torre di Porta Nuova in the Venice Arsenal, CNR-ISMAR Venice researchers Marco Sigovini and Alessandro Bergamasco presented the premiere of the documentary ‘Underwater environments in the North Adriatic - Ten years of European commitment to conscious enjoyment’ developed as part of the TRECAP project.
Prior to the documentary, the two researchers spoke briefly about 𝑃𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑎 𝑛𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑠 and the importance of trezze, biodiversity-rich geological outcrops in the middle of the sandy seabed of the Northern Adriatic, which are unfortunately still little known. The first talk was by Marco Sigovini and entitled “The future at risk of 𝑃𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑎 𝑛𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑠: status and conservation of a Mediterranean icon”. Sigovini showed the life cycle of the bivalve mollusc and retraced the mass mortality event that led to the animal's near extinction in our sea. A few dozen specimens have survived in the Venice lagoon and are being studied by researchers.
The following talk was dedicated to the trezze and the projects that have been dedicated to the protection of these environments over the years. Bergamasco emphasised the objective of the TRECAP project dedicated to promoting awareness of the existence and importance of the trezze as a habitat to be valued and discovered.
The screening of the documentary was a success: interviews with various professionals who deal with the trezze for different reasons, from geologists to biologists, from museum directors to researchers, alternated with beautiful images of the life that populates these seabeds.
At the conclusion of the event, the audience actively participated with several questions, mainly related to 𝑃𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑎 𝑛𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑠 and its conservation. The documentary will soon be available on our website and it will also be possible to screen it in other venues to spread the message related to the protection of the seabed.
See you at our next event!