Aqua Alta

For some perspective: the water usually only comes up to the first step.

Every year Venice is sinking. To add to that there is a season called Aqua Alta (High Water) when the tides in the lagoon rise (there are a number of different reasons that cause this such as melting snow on nearby mountains, I'll allow you to look up the other reasons yourself). During Aqua Alta, (October-December, and April apparently) the lowest parts of the city are covered in water and all of the city is covered depending on how severe the level gets. San Marco is the lowest point in the city which is why it always floods first.

Sorry this is blurry, I need a better camera, but here is San Marco flooded.

Tonight there was Aqua Alta. The city is warned of it, first on the internet and through the weather forecast, but then traditionally 2 hours before the highest level a loud alarm sounds over the city. It sounds as if there is about to be an air raid, in fact I would not be surprised if the alarm dates back to the war, when air raids were popular.

Even the shops flood.

Nevertheless, the city continues functioning and in the low parts of the city planks are set into place and become temporary walkways. This night was Aqua Alta and we decided to go through San Marco on our way to meet friends in Castello for drinks. This was a mistake. Not because it wasn't beautiful. It was gorgeous with the lights reflecting off the water as it literally bubbled up from between the stones in the piazza. It honestly felt as if we were sinking. No, it was a mistake because the planks are only put out in the touristy area when the water is not extremely high. So after we passed San Marco the water cleared up but just around another turn where we needed to go the water rose up again. 3 of the 4 of us didn't have rain boots. So we had to try a different route, only every 5 minutes we would run into more huge puddles of water blocking our path. What should have taken 20 minutes took 45. This is about the time Aqua Alta stops being beautiful and Venice turns into a weird video game where you cannot forge the water or you'll die so everyone loses. At least that's how my brain spent the night, thinking it was trapped in a twisted version of Frogger.

This is in front of Tintoretto's house. (which is no where near San Marco)