2025 - November - Venice - Acqua Alta

This journey has a backstory or better said two: On one hand, we were here in 2020 during the height of the Corona pandemic and wanted to fill some gaps from that time. On the other hand, there was this long-held desire to experience the phenomenon of Acqua Alta.

Acqua Alta means "high water" in Italian and occurs primarily between November and March, often in connection with full or new moons, low air pressure, and the Scirocco wind. I could obviously only plan for the month and the moon phase, which is why our adventure started at the beginning of November during the full moon.

A look at the Italian side

https://www.comune.venezia.it/maree

shows how high the water will rise in the coming days. The 100 cm displayed and marked in red for November 3, 2025, do not mean that the water in the city center will stand one meter high. This value refers to sea level. In St. Mark's Square, which is the lowest, this corresponds to about 20 cm of water on the pavement.

But why is St. Mark's Square so low at all? There are several reasons for this: On one hand, the square is located directly at the Canale di San Marco and only a few meters above sea level, so that water from the lagoon can flow in almost unhindered during high tide. Boats and waves driven by the Scirocco wind further amplify this effect. Additionally, Venice was built on stilts, and the ground around St. Mark's Square has slowly settled over the centuries. This causes the square to drop a little, favoring high water.

So with these facts prepared, you are now at my knowledge level before the event. However, I certainly did not know how it would actually unfold.

The highest tide was forecasted for 08:55, so we arrived on site by 08:30 and initially saw little. Some planks for pedestrians had already been laid out. Everywhere in the city, you can see these stacked, as one must always be prepared for high water in Venice.

A few minutes later, St. Mark's Square showed larger puddles, and it was bubbling suspiciously from the drains. Gradually, larger areas of the square filled up while the sun kept shining relentlessly. What luck! Just yesterday it had rained heavily.

By the way, we brought practical shoe covers from Germany. In the souvenir shops, you can also buy knee-high versions locally. Nevertheless, most tourists stood unprepared in the wetness, wading like storks in a salad. It looked quite amusing at times.

Even two hours later, a lot of water could still be seen before it gradually receded. I therefore had plenty of time for a few photos and even a visit to St. Mark's Basilica. More on that later.