Venice - Italy - page 269

Generally, walking will be your principal mode of transportation, and certainly
your only means of getting to many hotels, sights, and restaurants that lie a dis-
tance from the water buses or taxis. Walking can be hellishly (and delightfully)
confusing, making a mockery of even the most exquisitely crafted map. You also
won't have much fun carrying heavy luggage up and down the steps.
San Marco is always the busiest area, and many visitors never venture far
beyond its souvenir-infested epicenter.
West of San Marco is the traditional working-class neighborhood of Castello,
still inhabited by the old-time Venetians. Venture far enough west, possibly
strolling along the broad lagoon-side promenade of Riva degli Schiavoni, and
Acqua Alta & Sirocco
The pessimists will claim that Venice is drowning. Much of the lagoon is a
shallow, muddy area that is susceptible to oceanic tides, and in certain
seasons, the water level rises to flood parts of Venice. When acqua alta
(high water) hits—generally late September through April—it is usually
the result of a combination of a very high tide, low atmospheric pressure,
and the onset of the sultry sirocco, a wind that blows from the Adriatic,
forcing water into the lagoon. (To get a sense of the sirocco, watch
Visconti's film version of Thomas Mann's Death in Venice, shot principally
in the Lido's famous Hotel Des Bains.)
Freak acqua alta floods leave their mark. On October 31, 2004, the
water rose 135 centimeters (53 in.) to put 80% of the city under water.
Areas in the low-lying historical center are more susceptible to flooding,
and elevated boardwalks are set in place here for foot traffic (you'll find
route maps at some of the vaporetto stops). Rubber boots are never in
short supply. A siren will begin to sound several hours before the arrival
of any particularly high tide, but there's no real need to panic. The high
water has long been a part of Venetian culture and there are numerous
tales of pleasure-loving locals refusing to leave parties even as the floor
beneath them begins to flood. There has been increasing cause for con-
cern, however; whereas tidal flooding occurred roughly 8 times a year a
century ago, that figure rose to 108 in 2002.
The Italian government has already taken action. A system of 79
hinged flood barriers is currently being installed at the edge of the lagoon;
these will function with compressed air, rising from the seabed during
acqua alta to form a wall against the threat of floods. Despite warnings
from some environmental agencies that the plans will turn the lagoon into
a dank swamp, it seems that the city, at least for a while, will remain
afloat.