The Marshes Series is a collection of fictional short stories exploring the Venetian lagoon’s most distinctive and endangered ecosystem: the salt marshes, or barene, as locals call them. It was produced by Laguna~B in collaboration with Vital, and released throughout 2025 as part of the company’s digital Magazine.

Besides being the subjects of local myths and legends, the Venetian wetlands are home to a wide variety of flora and fauna; they regulate and mitigate tides; absorb and store large amounts of CO2, at a far higher rate even than forests—providing the conditions for this unique environment to survive. Since 2020, the Vital team has worked to regenerate these complex amphibious worlds, which are at risk of disappearing because of erosion, intensive fishing, pollution, and tourism.

Each author was commissioned a story based on a different “ecological superpower” of the barene, and was illustrated by Simone Carraro, a Venice-based artist exploring the relationship between human beings, nature, and folk culture. The authors were: Thea Hawlin, Maria Luce Cacciaguerra, Olga Campofreda, Nicolò Porcelluzzi, Trevor Louw, Alice Ongaro Sartori.

Illustrations by Simone Carraro. Originally published in 2025 as part of Laguna~B Magazine.