Venetians in their indomitable spirit, neither rain, snow or high water keeps them from celebrating Carnival. Imagine that each day for about 3 hours, twice a day, the water crept into your street, your home or your store. Let’s see your state would declare a Natural Disaster! But not so in Venice. Enjoy watching as Venetians and tourists (whom you can identify from the gaudy brightly colored plastic boots) go about their life.

High water occurs when the tides from the Adriatic increase, due to the moon and winds from the south. It’s not like a flood, it is silent and begins as the water seeps up from the ground in the low spots in San Marco. Fortunately it disappears after several hours. It is a nuisance for stores and restaurants who must clean after it recedes. In low lying areas, most people do not occupy the ground floor. In 2014, there were about 150 days with high water. Tourist enjoy it for the novelty.