Going, going, gondola
Two months after record floods, Venice runs dry
it draws millions of visitors a year with its glorious waterways and singing gondoliers.
But tourists in Venice might be left with a sinking feeling – on discovering its worldfamous canals have run dry.
Just two months after severe flooding left much of the city under water, exceptionally low tides have reduced its canals to boggy trenches.
Gondolas and boats were left stranded as the water peaked around 18in below sea level in the afternoon, making it impossible to navigate some of the waterways.
Public water buses were diverted to the Grand Canal, which remains navigable, but the low tide has caused problems for some hydro ambulances and the fire service, which use boats in the interior canals.
With some of the canals left with barely a trickle of water, the muddy foundations of buildings have become visible – hardly the photo opportunity tourists were hoping for. it comes after Venice experienced its highest water levels in more than 50 years during floods in November, leaving parts of the city under 6ft of water.
the floods raised fears of irreparable damage to historic treasures, including Saint Mark’s Basilica, and caused an estimated £850million of damage.
the tide – the second-highest since records began in 1923 –
‘Highest tide in 50 years’
washed gondolas and water buses into thoroughfares, wrecked hotels and sent tourists fleeing through rapidly rising waters.
the low tide phenomenon, which often occurs in January, is caused by a rare positioning of the sun and moon relative to the Earth, as well as high pressure and low winds.
the phenomenon is nicknamed ‘secche della Befana’, or ‘droughts of the Befana’, by locals in reference to a witch in italian folklore who delivers presents to children on the night of January 5.
though dramatic, the current low tides are some way off the record low, which was set in 1934, when the tide was recorded at 4ft below the average.
the ‘lagoon city’, which has around 150 canals running through, is built on an archipelago of 118 islands linked by 400 bridges.