I had heard through the grapevine that Venice is “sinking”, but until my personal travel to Venice over midterm break I thought this was only myth. The troubles of living in a city built over water didn’t fully occur to me until visiting Venice myself and walking on the sidewalks as the water from the Grand Canal began to cover them.
Upon arrival to our Bed & Breakfast the first night in Venice, the owner warned us that we may be woken up by alarms the next morning. He said we shouldn’t be worried because they aren’t bomb alarms, “they’re high tide alarms.” Fall is the worst season in Venice for flooding and rain.
We didn’t let the impending high tide affect our plans and we got an early start the next morning, before any alarms, and visited St. Mark’s Basilica. It was raining as we walked from Rialto Bridge to St. Peter’s Square, but there was no flooding yet. When we entered St. Mark’s Basilica it only looked like a dreary day, but when we exited, St. Mark’s Square was covered by water. The flooding ranged anywhere from a few inches to over a foot, and for Venetians this is normal! They deal with flooding from the Grand Canal as part of their daily lives.
I got the chance to talk to a handful of Venetian locals, mostly shop owners, and I was shocked by how much they deal with flooding. They told me that water comes into their stores, homes and museums as high as several feet. Several Venetians showed me water damage on their walls. As I was looking through a Murano Glass shop, the owner began moving the expensive glass artwork to the back of the store, preparing for the water.
As much as I would have loved to enjoy a sunny day in Venice on a gondola, seeing Venice in this state opened my eyes to an aspect of life in Venice that not every tourist gets to see. I left with completely new knowledge of a foreign city that I had experienced firsthand. I look forward to returning to Venice next week with the JSB Program, and I am hopeful that this time I won’t need trash bags as shoes!
Ciao, Ali Klebous