People walk near the Rialto bridge on the occasion of a high tide, in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
Tourists and Venetians alike have donned high boots and taken to temporary raised walkways to slosh through the high water that has hit much of the lagoon city.
Venice’s tide forecast office said the water level peaked at 1.27 meters (4ft 3in) on Tuesday morning but warned that an even higher tide was forecast for after nightfall.
The high water invaded cafes, stores and other businesses. Sirens warned people in Venice of the rising water, and as a precaution, authorities closed nursery schools.
A top tourist attraction, the Ducal Palace, just off St Mark’s Square, tweeted that it was “open today, despite the exceptional tide”, and advised visitors to use the raised walkways leading to its entrance.
Many hotels keep disposable knee-high plastic boots handy for tourists. Venetians’ wardrobes often include over-the-knee rubber boots.
A shopkeeper looks out of his shop at a flooded St. Mark's Square on the occasion of a high tide, in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Andrea Merola/ANSA via AP)
The high water, known locally as “acqua alta”, was amusing for tourists and a nuisance for residents going about their business, but levels were far lower than the 1.94 meters (6ft 4in) in the devastating November 1966 flood.
But even lower levels of the salty high water over the years take their toll on the city, eroding foundations of homes, businesses and city buildings.
Bad weather is continuing to dog Italy, with no real let-up forecast for several days.
In Policoro, a southern town in an area known for its ancient Greek ruins, a whirlwind ripped the roofs off two homes, but the occupants inside escaped injury, Italian news reports said.
In the same region of Basilicata, areas of the tourist town of Matera, famed for its Sassi former cave dwellings, were flooded after heavy rains. (AP)
A stranded ferry boat lies on its side, in Venice, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019. The mayor of Venice is blaming climate change for flooding in the historic canal city that has reached the second-highest levels ever recorded, as another exceptional water level was recorded Wednesday. The high-water mark hit 187 centimeters (74 inches) late Tuesday, meaning more than 85% of the city was flooded. (AP Photo/Luigi Costantini)
A tourist pushes her floating luggage in a flooded St. Mark's Square, in Venice, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019. The high-water mark hit 187 centimeters (74 inches) late Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019, meaning more than 85% of the city was flooded. The highest level ever recorded was 194 centimeters (76 inches) during infamous flooding in 1966. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
A man looks at a stranded taxi boat lying on its side in a alley in Venice, early Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019. The mayor of Venice is blaming climate change for flooding in the historic canal city that has reached the second-highest levels ever recorded, as another exceptional water level was recorded Wednesday. The high-water mark hit 187 centimeters (74 inches) late Tuesday, meaning more than 85% of the city was flooded. (AP Photo/Luigi Costantini)
A woman sits in a chair in a flooded St. Mark's Square, in Venice, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019. The high-water mark hit 187 centimeters (74 inches) late Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019, meaning more than 85% of the city was flooded. The highest level ever recorded was 194 centimeters (76 inches) during infamous flooding in 1966. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
A seagull flies off the water in a flooded St.Mark Square, in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
People walk on catwalk set up on the occasion of a high tide, in a flooded Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
The entrance to St. Mark's Basilica is flooded on the occasion of a high tide, in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
A man walks past a closed cafe in a flooded Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
People walk on catwalk set up on the occasion of a high tide, in a flooded Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
A woman is silhouetted as she walks towards a flooded St. Mark's Square, on the occasion of a high tide, in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
People wade through water on the occasion of a high tide, in a flooded Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
Tourists carry their luggage as they wade through water on the occasion of a high tide, in a flooded Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
A woman carries her daughter in a flooded St. Mark's Square, in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
A photographer takes pictures in a flooded St. Mark's Square, in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
A woman standing on catwalk, right, set up on the occasion of a high tide takes pictures, in a flooded Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
A shop assistant adjusts shoes as women outside wade through a flooded street on the occasion of a high tide, in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Andrea Merola/ANSA via AP)
People walk on catwalks set up on the occasion of a high tide, in a flooded Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
People walk on catwalk set up in a flooded St. Mark's Square, in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
A greengrocer carries his cart as the water begins to flood St. Mark's Square on the occasion of a high tide, in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
People walk on catwalk set up in front of St. Mark's Basilica on the occasion of a high tide, in a flooded Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
People wade through water on the occasion of a high tide, in a flooded Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
People walk on catwalk set up on the occasion of a high tide, in a flooded Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
A greengrocer carries his cart as the water begins to flood St. Mark's Square on the occasion of a high tide, in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
People walk in a flooded St. Mark's Square in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
People walk in a flooded St. Mark's Square, in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
People walk in a flooded St. Mark's Square, in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
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