Historian of science and philosophy, Pietro Omodeo, reflects on the anthropic history of Venice’s lagoon. Relating to a series of ongoing events in Venice, Italy, that analyze the relationship between nature and civilization in the water city, the research material explores what we can learn from early Venetians’ approaches to hydrology, sea tides, and water and life cycles. This case study poses the question, can we write a history of scientific knowledge based on the transformative interplay of nature and culture?