High tides and strong winds brought an exceptional acqua alta, or high water, to Venice, Italy, over the past few days. Though flooding is not uncommon in Venice, the high water level yesterday was just over 5 feet (156 cm), one of the highest marks ever recorded. Schools and hospitals were closed, but tourists did their best to navigate the flooded squares and alleys as they always have.
Acqua Alta, or Venice Underwater
- Alan Taylor
- October 30, 2018
- 20 Photos
- In Focus
-
Tourists walk through a flooded Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy, on October 29, 2018. #
Stefano Mazzola / Awakening / Getty -
-
Tourists take a gondola in spite of the acqua alta in Venice on October 29, 2018. #
Stefano Mazzola / Awakening / Getty -
People walk in a flooded Piazza San Marco during a period of seasonal high water in Venice on October 29, 2018. #
Manuel Silvestri / Reuters -
A restaurant owner looks at the floodwaters on October 29, 2018, in Venice. #
Stefano Mazzola / Awakening / Getty -
-
People walk on a temporary catwalk past a flooded Piazza San Marco on October 29, 2018. #
Manuel Silvestri / Reuters -
A tourist walks past Piazza San Marco on October 29, 2018, in Venice. #
Stefano Mazzola / Awakening / Getty -
Tourists carry a stroller through the floodwaters near the Rialto Bridge on October 29, 2018. #
Stefano Mazzola / Awakening / Getty -
-
A typical Venetian boat sails through a flooded Campo San Giacometto in Venice on October 29, 2018. #
Stefano Mazzola / Awakening / Getty -
A couple walk through the flooded Piazza San Marco on October 29, 2018. #
Manuel Silvestri / Reuters -
A man carries a table in the flooded Riva degli Schiavoni during a high-water alert in Venice on October 29, 2018. #
Miguel Medina / AFP / Getty -
-
Tourists walk in a flooded street near the Rialto Bridge on October 29, 2018. #
Miguel Medina / AFP / Getty -
Tourists walk across an emergency walkway in Piazza San Marco on October 29, 2018. #
Stefano Mazzola / Awakening / Getty -
A man walks in the flooded Piazza San Marco on October 29, 2018. #
Miguel Medina / AFP / Getty -
-
Tourists carry their luggage above the water in a side street in Venice on October 29, 2018. #
Stefano Mazzola / Awakening / Getty -
A view of the flooded Piazza San Marco on October 29, 2018. #
Manuel Silvestri / Reuters -
A man empties a bucket of water on a flooded street during a high-water event in Venice on October 29, 2018. #
Miguel Medina / AFP / Getty -
-
Tourists wade under arches next to the flooded Piazza San Marco on October 29, 2018. #
Miguel Medina / AFP / Getty -
People walk past gondolas during acqua alta in Venice on October 29, 2018. #
Manuel Silvestri / Reuters -
A man sits on a chair in Piazza San Marco during a high-water event in Venice on October 29, 2018. #
Miguel Medina / AFP / Getty -
-
Piazza San Marco, or St. Mark's Square, flooded during an acqua alta alert in Venice on October 29, 2018. #
Miguel Medina / AFP / Getty
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.