Venice is more than surrounded by water — it has the water of the Adriatic running in its veins. One unfortunate effect of this is that high tides or heavy rains can cause flooding in the city.
In December 2008, one of the highest tides in its history hit Venice. People waded through the streets in high boots, or walked on the boardwalks above the flood waters. See how the 4th highest tide in recorded history (records there have been kept since 1872) affected the city.
That was last year. What will this winter bring?
Whatever happens, the Venetians and their visitors will find ways to deal with it. But what permanent damage is such flooding doing to the city and its treasures?
omg, I never knew that! Venice is such a lovely place, it’s really a shame.
I hope whatever’s causing the flood will be fixed… We can’t afford to let splendid Venice go down the drain…
People celebrate New Year with a rubber boat in Venice’s St. Mark square flooded by high water last Jan. 1, 2010. The flood didn’t stop exuberant celebrations – it was still fun!