For centuries, residents carried water from the mainland with much effort and risk. In the ninth century, they devised a way to collect rainwater by using paved, cleverly sloped squares as catchment systems, with limestone filters covering underground clay tubs.
Venice's population grew markedly once citizens were able to access fresh water by simply dropping buckets down into these "wells. Now the wells are capped, the clay tubs are rotted out, and rain drains from squares into the lagoon — or up from it, as the case may be. During these floods, some high-end hotels lend boots to their customers. Wooden benches are placed end-to-end in St. Mark's Square to create elevated sidewalks. It turns into total gridlock, as all the people normally sharing the whole square jostle for space on these narrow wooden walkways.
After the flood, officials knew something had to be done, but it took about four decades to settle on a solution. Named for the acronym of its Italian name, Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico, it's also a nod to Moses and his albeit temporary mastery over the sea. For tourists in Venice , the sight of St. We and our partners use cookies to better understand your needs, improve performance and provide you with personalised content and advertisements.
To allow us to provide a better and more tailored experience please click "OK". Sign Up. Travel Guides. Videos Beyond Hollywood Hungerlust Pioneers of love. Raphaele Varley. Visitors to Venice walk on duck boards as sea water floods St. Tourists in Venice this November experience major flooding in St. Acqua alta in St. You may have heard people refer to Venice at The Floating City. Well, during the autumn months, Venice becomes more of a sinking city. In this guide, discover the reasons for Venice flooding and how the city copes with this weather trend.
Venice is actually made up of separate islands, which sit within the Venetian Lagoon. This extra water seeps onto the main island and causes Venice to flood. In some of the city, the water levels were as deep as even five feet. And to top it all off, Venice sinks because the city was built upon weak foundations. Sitting on shifting tectonic plates, Venice essentially tilts to the East. Experts have measured that on average, Venice sinks about two millimeters every year.
Water moves more quickly in the lagoon as a result, causing more tidal extremes that bring high water at one end of the spectrum and the exposing of wooden building foundations, causing them to rot, at the other.
The wash from cruise ships and other motor traffic in the increasingly busy lagoon exacerbates the erosion of these foundations. But the acqua alta could be being made worse by an altogether more long-term concern: the city is slowly sinking.
Built on a muddy lagoon with inadequate foundations, the ground beneath it has slowly compacted over time.
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