To combat this issue, the city of Ravenna built over the centuries a series of canals and waterways to prevent the Montone, Ronco, and Candiano Rivers from flooding.

Over the centuries this sediment clogged the smaller canals in the city and caused the coastline to expand outwards, disrupting the Port of Ravenna.

[1] To better facilitate the flow of water and increase access to the Port of Ravenna, a plan for a new canal was formulated in the early 18th century.

[4][5] In the 18th century the Candiano Canal was deepened and slightly shortened as part of a infrastructure expansion project launched by Agostino Rivarola.

The importance of the canal increased after the Port of Ravenna (which contained petroleum processing facilities) underwent an economic revival during the 1973 oil crisis.