Acqua Alta in Venice

When we set off from our hotel that night, I noticed some tables or platforms in the middle of the rode. Some people were just sitting on them but I wasn’t really sure what they were. I thought they set up some kind of flea market every now and then that requires these platforms. As we drew nearer the Saint Mark’s Basilica. There were even more, but then it was already obvious to me what these platforms were for. They were for people to walk on, why is that? When we visited, the water was very high so high that it flooded parts of the Piazza San Marco, the main square of Venice, the heart of Venice. The people were walking on top of the platforms to avoid getting wet.

So what is exactly going on. This phenomenon is called the acqua alta or high water. This is actually a high tide, a very high one. It seems that the area of Venice is quite prone to very high tides, which happens in spring and in autumn, we happened to be there in spring but I wasn’t really expecting to see it. From what I understand, this is not the only place which is affected by these very high tides but it seems Venice has the worst of it. This is compounded by the specific shape of the lagoon that makes the water even higher. It is really a curious phenomenon which I have seen on the internet. I was surprised to be able to witness it myself.

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