Peter, your words of enthusiasm comfort me so much.
It was an idea I had been having for many years, but could only be realised when I bought myself a small camera that I could carry with me at all times. Within three months 90% of the site was ready because I knew what I wanted to do. By far the hardest work was not taking the photos, but researching the places to be photographed, studying the documentation on authors and dates (in libraries, archives, bookshops, old online magazines), editing the photos, building and maintaining the site, answering to emails...
That's how I see it: for me it was fun, during which I learned a lot about my town and had the opportunity to meet some very interesting people. I hope that at least a little bit of what I did will also help my fellow citizens to learn to appreciate what they see (without looking at it) every day and perhaps to fight to save it.
To your wife: Padua is a cute, small city, but it is not Venice, however, Venice is only a few kilometres from here, so if you plan to drop by, tell me and I'll invite you for dinner (they say I'm good at cooking, not at taking photos).