Italy in the News: Venice is Flooding

I always love reading about Italy in the news. It makes me feel connected to the country and brings back memories from my time there. Recently, parts of Italy have experienced major flooding, from Tuscany all the way to Venice.

As Venice is a city made up of tiny islands, canals take the place of streets and everything is built on water.  When standing in the church in Piazza San Marco, I was able to feel the water moving under the floor! However, heavy rains bring floods. According to the Huffington Post, three quarters of the city is currently flooded. Normal defense methods, such as lifted boards on which residents and visitors walk, are not enough this time. Water is everywhere.

A photo of one of the canals during my trip to Venice in July 2011.

According to the BBC video on Huffington Post, Venetians are normally used to flooding in the fall, but this is the worst recorded flood in six years. Photos on the online news outlet show that even businesses are flooded - rain boots for sale are floating in a shoe store! However, some of my favorite photos are those of people floating in cafe chairs or taking a swim in the piazza.  It truly shows the Italian ideology of la dolce vita. 

Although it seems as though some are enjoying the increase of water in Venice, hopefully it goes down soon.  Too much flood water will do long term damage homes and businesses, greatly affecting countless people.