Piazza San Marco

Excerpt from A Child’s Geography: Explore the Classical World

Crowds can be dense at this time of year. At least we can be thankful that this is not the time of Acqua Alta [ak-wa AHL-tah], or seasonal flooding. During the winter months, the whole city of Venice may find itself submerged under several inches, or even feet, of briny seawater as the tides of the Adriatic Sea rise during rough storms.

When that happens, residents pull on their gaiters and go about their normal business. A little flooding can’t keep the people of Venice indoors. Visitors who don’t come prepared will find that they might get a little wet. However, there are wooden sidewalks that fold down from many buildings or stretch across wide piazzas, providing a raised platform for people to walk above the rising tide. Would you like to see: