We had a smooth checkout at the hotel on Saturday morning, and a taxi was ready within five minutes to take us to Stazione Porta Nueva. The 11:00am Trenitalia Frecciarossa train was taking us on a 75 minute journey to Venezia Santa Lucia.
We had a complimentary lunch box given to us on the train shortly after leaving Verona. It had a bottle of water, juice, a croissant and a pack of quinoa biscuits.
On arrival at Santa Lucia, we had to catch a water taxi into Venice. The Ferrovia ticket office, that sells tickets for the vaporetta water taxis, is directly outside the train station. Here we got a three day pass costing €45 each. We caught line 2 to San Marco San Zaccaria which is right outside our booked accommodation, Hotel Paganelli. The route was very busy as people headed to the main parts of Venice.
We had booked a double room which we were lucky to get upgraded to a suite (maybe because we were returning customers?). This is a beautiful, spacious room overlooking San Marco basin.
https://www.hotelpaganelli.com
Once we’d dropped our bags off we went to Gran Caffe Chioggia, which is opposite the Doge Palace, near Piazza San Marco (St Marks’ Square), and less than five minutes from the hotel. We’ve visited here before and always enjoyed a glass of wine whilst watching the world go by. Today was a little different though. Whilst walking along Riva degli Schiavoni towards the caffe, I noticed that the water from San Marco lagoon basin was exceptionally high, and was flooding onto the walkways.
On arriving at Gran Caffe Chioggia, water was bubbling up from the drain holes in front of the cafe. Having visited Venice a few times before, this was something I hadn’t experienced. Waiters were removing items from tables such as table cloths, serviettes and cutlery to protect the caffe’s property.
Once the bill was settled we walked towards St Marks’ Square to see that most of it was underwater. Many adults and children were wading through the water, which was way above their ankles.
People moved around the shallower parts trying to get across without feet getting too wet. We walked towards the clock tower before reaching dry land.
I was already aware of the term Acqua Alta (high water), which usually happens during spring and autumn in Venice, but can also occur at other times. I have since read a report by Meteo.it (Italian weather channel) that Piazza San Marco was flooded on the night of Tuesday 1st August to Wednesday 2nd August 2023. One metre of water was recorded there, which was a lot more than today.
If you’re interested, this article gives some information about Venice’s Acqua Alta. Venice’s sensitivity to climate change is becoming very apparent.
https://www.walksofitaly.com/blog/travel-tips/flooding-acqua-alta-tips
High tide is predicted to be higher on Sunday 6th August 2023 than Saturday 5th.
https://www.comune.venezia.it/it/content/centro-previsioni-e-segnalazioni-maree
The reason we needed to cross Piazza San Marco was to go to Libreria Acqua Alta, which is about an eight minute walk from there. Everyone was trying to get away from the water so it was really busy down the narrow alleyways. Located on Calle Lunga Santa Maria Formosa, Libreria Acqua Alta was also very busy. Outside there was a sign saying “Are you dogs owners? Our cats are pretty territorial so you’re kindly requested to hold them in your arms or wait outside here”. The stray cats are well known here but we didn’t see any.
This place is a self-proclaimed “most beautiful book store in the world”. When you go in, you have to follow a one-way system through the store, passing a gondola that is stuffed full of books; there are also shelves, baths and other waterproof vessels full of books, magazines, maps and vinyl records. The storage system has been devised due to constant flooding in Venice which would destroy the vast collection. The Book Store of High Water extends outside where many books have been made into a staircase which can be walked up. The signs start with a big arrow saying “follow the books steps climb”. The books are covered in carpet for a bit of stability. The next sign, at the top, says “wonderful view”, so I peeked over the top of the wall to get some nice views of the canal behind the bookstore.
We followed the one-way system back through part of the store before being directed away from the till as we weren’t making a purchase. This lead us down another area also lined with books outside.
After leaving the bookstore we followed our route in reverse back to a restaurant that we had passed earlier, Trattoria da Carletto. Its traditionally Italian vibe had caught our eye, as did the menu. It was quite late for eating lunch so we got a table easily, and were welcomed by a helpful waiter called Kiro. He made a good recommendation for me, baked turbot, which was cooked beautifully. He was also a bit cheeky but in a nice way. He also suggested the home made tiramisu, which we shared, and tasted wonderful. Before we got the bill he also gave us a complimentary shot of Limoncello, served in a frozen glass.
The bill was quite dear for a lunchtime meal, which we knew, but it was a lovely treat.
https://ristorante-da-carletto.business.site/?m=true
We went back to the hotel at this point. Piazza San Marco was still underwater but there seemed to be a bit more organisation for people moving about.
After a bit of a chill out, we got ready for the evening. I was feeling a bit washed out and it took me a while to get going. However, once we got outside, the fresh air woke me up. It was ten degrees cooler than when we stayed in Verona, so this was the first time I’d worn a jacket whilst being in Italy. We walked in the opposite direction to Piazza San Marco so it was relatively quiet on the waterfront. We were just bimbling, watching the sunset and taking in our new surroundings.
We were surprised to find Via Garibaldi, an unusually wide street that was filled with bars and cafes on either side. This street is known as a rio-terà, a former canal that has been filled to create the pedestrianised road. This place had a great vibe and we wandered down it, whilst being offered a table to eat supper at a few of the restaurants.
We chose Ristorante Sottoprova, a restaurant with another typical Italian menu. The staff were really lovely and helpful and the food delicious.
https://sottoprova.eatbu.com/?lang=en
After stopping at a rather lively wine bar, also on Via Garibaldi, we worked our way back to the hotel. Sunday is our last full day in Italy before we prepare to head back to England.
jctraveller 
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