Water towns have a great potential due to the presence of water, this makes them also more fragile, demanding higher level of attention and sensibility for their protection. Venice, despite the high level of protection by the legislative framework, struggles for the conservation of its soul and image. The climate changes, the growing pressure of the tourism and sometimes the incapacity of controlling or managing the urban transformations risk to weaken its conservation. The lecture will provide an overview on the main issues for the conservation of the town.