page_title: Candiano Canal
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: Candiano Canal / History / Background
caption_attribution_description: Italiano: Mappa di sintesi dei progetti di regolazione dei fiumi di Ravenna.
context_page_description: The Candiano Canal, also known as the Canal Corsini, is a canal connecting the Italian city of Ravenna to the Adriatic Sea. The canal was built as part of a construction program begun by Pope Clement XII in the early 18th century. The artificial waterway connects the Monote and Ronco rivers to the Adriatic Sea. At 11 km long, the canal is the largest artificial canal in Italy.
context_section_description: Historically, the city of Ravenna suffered episodes of destructive flooding. To combat this issue, the city of Ravenna built over the centuries a series of canals and waterways to prevent the Montone, Ronco, and Candiano Rivers from flooding. A lack of drinking water was also a chronic problem for the city, as the three aforementioned rivers are shallow, muddy, and as such provided poor drinking water. In the 7th century the Po river was diverted, leading to more sediment being swept downriver to Ravenna. Over the centuries this sediment clogged the smaller canals in the city and caused the coastline to expand outwards, disrupting the Port of Ravenna. In 1636 both the Montone and Ronco rivers flooded, destroying 140 buildings in the city.
caption: 1731 map of the canals of Ravenna.
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