“Porta da Mar” or the “door from the sea”) and time and the weather had caused the statues of the prophets to lose much of their splendour hence the reason why THUN, as part of the THUN for Art in Italy project, decided to fund the artistic restoration of the prophet statues. It was a gesture of affection for the Basilica, as the lagoon city’s architectural masterpiece, which is envied worldwide but which is perhaps the treasure that is most at risk from the ravages of time.