All language subtitles for Venice 24-7 3of6 City Fit for a Pope 720p HDTV_Subtitles01.ENG

Venice, one of the most
stunning cities on Earth.

Over 50,000 tourists arrive here
each day for the Carnevale,

culture and canals.

But what they don't see
is how this city works.

This is Venice from the inside.

Around the clock,

emergency teams fight to keep a city
built on water safe and working.

With unprecedented access to
police, fire and medical teams,

we come face to face with
the unique daily challenges

and life-and-death drama.

Up to yesterday evening,
she was all right

and this morning,
she was found not responsive.

This is Venice 24/7, where
the ordinary becomes extraordinary.

It's spring in Venice
and hot on the heels of Carnevale,

the tourist season is in full swing.

But this year, the city is bracing
itself for one very special guest.

In 48 hours,
the Pope is paying a visit.

Catholicism is still
a dominant force here.

The city is steeped in symbols
bearing the names of saints.

There are more than 100 churches
in just a three-mile stretch.

This pontiff will be the first
to come here in 26 years

for the two-day visit.

The whole of Venice is on red alert.

On the Grand Canal,
station chief Stefano Parma

and Alessandra Bassa, one of the
country's first female fire chiefs,

are en route to St Mark's Square.

Now we are going
to get to San Marco.

We will have the Pope
here in Venice.

And so we have to check the last
details about our organisation,

with regard to
the rescue of the population.

St Mark is Venice's patron saint

and is said to have used the city
as a base to preach the Gospel.

St Mark's Square is at the heart
of Venetian Catholicism.

With so many people
in the same place,

even something really not so bad

can be a problem.

In just 48 hours,
the whole city will be closed down.

The shops closed
because of security, of course.

And a crowd of people
here in Venice,

probably it is
the same amount of people

that usually is in Venice,
I mean, in the whole city

but on Saturday, they will be

probably all here
in Piazza San Marco.

The Pope's route around the square

is carefully marked out
with security barriers.

Say the first official meeting
with the population will be here,

will take place here.

Because here, the Pope,
probably over there,

will leave the boat.

And then, he will be here,

he will...have a little speech
with the population.

But with an event as large as this,

there are also more serious risks
to take into account.

Following months of preparation,

the chief commanders
of Venice's police and fire services

will be coordinating
2,000 security personnel.

The Pope arrives in two days' time.

With the Papal visit taking place

just a few days after
the shooting of Osama bin Laden,

security forces
are on the highest alert.

For Venice's police, such as
Chief Commissioner Susanna Simone,

the multi-million pound operation
must run like clockwork.

The Papal visit is aimed at speaking
directly to Venice's Catholics

and to highlight the
city's religious history.

At least three popes were born here.

The religious freedoms the city
allowed during its long republic

led to a fractious relationship
with the Vatican.

Today, almost a third
of Venice's population is elderly

and not everyone will be out on
the street to welcome the Pontiff.

Many will watch the visit
on television.

That's provided
the aerials are working.

The fire team, led by Giuliano
Manari, has been called out.

Not a life and death emergency,

but vital to resolve
on this important day.

The team must remove
the aerial altogether

before another gust of wind
knocks it into the courtyard.

Attached to ancient,
often decrepit roofs,

it doesn't take much to knock
a TV aerial loose in Venice.

As Venetian homes
are hundreds of years old,

the roofs, often badly maintained,
can be precarious.

After a skilled balancing act,

the team finish the job.

But not everyone will be happy
with the outcome.

Not far from St Mark's Square,
business is booming

for some of Venice's
most recognisable figures,

the gondolieri.

But for Giampaolo D'este and
brothers Franco and Bruno de Rossi,

the Pope's visit is about
more than extra tourists.

These are three of the four
gondoliers selected out of 400

by a specially appointed panel.

As well as over 70 years'
collective experience,

there is a rich family heritage.

At the docks
on the city's west side,

brought from over 150 miles away,

local police are about
to unload the Venetian Popemobile,

a converted six-seater golf buggy.

Local police commissioner Giordano
Zuin is overseeing the delivery.

In his 31-year career
in Venice's police force,

this is his first experience
of papal transport.

The job of driving the buggy
with His Holiness aboard

falls to local police driver
Francesco Martucci.

With over 30 years in the force, he
was chosen for his VIP experience.

The police hope they can get
the buggy to St Mark's Square

without damaging it.

The Pope's first appearance
in the city

will involve a ten-minute tour
of St Mark's Square in the buggy

for the benefit of the crowds.

Venice hasn't always
welcomed the Pontiff.

During the Counter-Reformation
in the 17th century,

Venice refused to execute heretics
as the Vatican had ordered.

They adopted
a more liberal approach,

which pitted them
against the powers of Rome.

Francesco familiarises himself
with the route.

This special Popemobile weighs
half as much as an average car

and has been designed
not to damage the paving stones

in St Mark's Square.

It's just hours
until His Holiness arrives.

Every corner of the city is being
given over to the preparations.

On the east side
of St Mark's Square,

the 14th-century Doge's Palace
has been requisitioned.

What was once the residence
of Venice's head of state

and the place from which
the republic was ruled

is today being turned
into a mobile hospital.

In charge of the paramedics
is Dr Michele Alzetta,

a Venetian who studied
in South Africa.

For the Pope's visit,
we are expecting a lot more work

because there are going to be
a lot more people in Venice.

But anyway, we've organised
a very complex system

so we believe we will be
able to face it successfully.

For 48 hours, this building will
become a modern medical facility.

Tonnes of equipment have been
moved in to create a field hospital,

including an intensive care area.

This being Venice,

the emergency teams
have an extra level of concern.

People falling into canals
is still a frequent occurrence

because people get drunk and the
canals don't have barriers, usually.

Unfortunately, finding a dead body
in a canal is not a rare occurrence.

Out in the lagoon, the fire teams
are practising crucial rescue drills

in anticipation of
tomorrow's Papal visit.

They're being put through
their paces by Mauro Masin,

a father of two with over 15 years'
experience in the fire brigade.

With less than a day to go
before the Pope arrives,

the specially-selected gondoliers
have to smarten up their act.

It's the morning
of the historic visit

and the crowd
is beginning to gather.

Venice's security forces carry out
one final security sweep.

On the ground,
specially trained policemen patrol

and scan every inch of the square.

On the roofs and in the skies above,

all eyes are focused
on the crowd below.

In a few moments' time,
the city will be on lockdown.

Local police chief Giordano
has a final word with his team.

As well as the police units
on the ground and in the air,

the Vatican's own security team
provide a serious presence.

CROWD CHEERS AND APPLAUDS

Finally, after 26 years
and meticulous preparation,

Pope Benedict XVI
makes his appearance.

The speech lasts around ten minutes

and Francesco's big moment
is upon him.

He steers the Pontiff slowly around
the square to greet the crowds.

The ten-minute trip
ends at the Doge's Palace,

where the Pope will spend the night.

The next morning, while most
of Venice carries on as normal,

paramedic Ada Scalpa and her team

have been called out
to the district of Dorsoduro.

A 75-year-old man
is having trouble breathing.

The man already has
a history of heart problems,

so Ada needs to check
just how severe the situation is.

The elderly couple lives alone

so the team want
to take the man to A&E

to have the cause of his symptoms
investigated further.

At the hospital, the man will
be seen by a cardiac specialist

to establish the cause
of his breathing problems.

Across Venice,

the authorities are gearing up
for the Pope's second day.

Today, they must close
the Grand Canal.

The Pope will be taken along
the canal and through the city,

finally arriving
in St Mark's Square.

The procession
will be led by Giordano.

Since Giordano will be out
with the Pope's escort,

responsibility for closing
the Grand Canal to all boats

will be delegated to
his second-in-command,

Giovanni Cassadei.

It's like closing down
the city's lifeline.

With around 35,000 boat journeys
made in Venice every day,

closing its main transport artery
is not going to be easy.

WHISTLE BLOWS

Sealing off the canal
to incoming boats is complicated

as hundreds of smaller waterways
lead into it.

Giovanni has managed
to clear the canal.

For possibly the first time
since the very foundation of Venice,

the Grand Canal is completely still.

The Pope is just moments away.

At last, the Pontiff makes
his journey down the Grand Canal.

This is the first chance
for the entire city

to catch a glimpse of Benedict XVI.

For the final leg
of his journey downriver,

the Pope transfers
to an open-topped gondola.

This is when the Pontiff
is at his most vulnerable.

BELLS CHIME

For this moment,

gondoliers Giampaolo, Franco and
Bruno are his closest protection.

The gondoliers raise their oars
in the traditional salute.

In return for their efforts,

the gondoliers get
their much-hoped-for blessing.

We're with the port authorities, as
they lead a 300m-long cruise liner

through the delicate
historic centre.

And it's a case of make or break,

as priceless works of art arrive for
the city's world famous Biennale.

Now we still have to
take it out of the crate

and move it on the platform.

Of course, it will be not easy.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd