Around 3500 residents in the port of Marghera, a mostly industrial area separated from the historic centre by water, were evacuated in the operation.
Transportation by boat, train and bus was suspended from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm.
Police announced that traffic would be re-routed on some roads and canals, warning tourists to expect transportation delays.
Planes were also barred from flying to and from Venice’s Marco Polo Airport during the operation.
The bomb, which weighed around 225 kilograms and contained around 129 kilograms of TNT, was discovered during works to fix sewer lines in January.
The discovery prompted curiosity and anticipation in among residents, with local media dubbing the event the “Bomba Day” and sharing the hashtag on Twitter, along with footage from the scene.
At mid-morning, authorities said the first two phases of the operation – the evacuation of residents and the process to defuse the bombs – had been successfully completed.
Gianluca Dello Monacco, commander of the Army regiment that carried out the work, told Rai24 that the precautions were justified.
“It still carried a high risk of explosion,” Dello Monacco said of the bomb.
The bomb was later transferred on a ship to a remote area in the sea, where it was detonated.
