The clock's ticking on the battle to save Venice

In this age of seemingly endless disagreements, here's one point that seems beyond disputation: Venice is doomed to sink into the Adriatic. In the last 100 years, the city has lost 23 centimeters of land (which is quite the big deal.)

But a myriad of other more near-term challenges loom: Venice faces rising tides that each year bring more and more floods; the degradation of beaches and shore areas; and gradual pollution of its marine environment. That's why Italy's Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, in conjunction with the Venice Water Authority and a group of local engineering firms have broken ground on a giant infrastructure project known as Mose that, it is hoped, will keep the rising waters at bay and begin the process of permanently protecting Venice. CNET's Daniel Terdiman was given a rare up-close tour of the work and spoke with engineers about the challenges they face. You can read his report here.