High Water in the Fragile City

Two children, a boy and a girl, were pottering about in the district of Cannaregio. With the water from the lagoon now reaching their knees, they made their way along the fondamenta, marvelling at the array of objects floating around them and holding tight the loot they had already collected: a box of multicoloured old buttons and a miniature wooden toy. They had never witnessed anything like this before. The fondamenta had been completely inundated with water from the canal. The border between land and the sea was now under the waves. Unaware of the danger just inches away from them, they were happily walking in search of more treasures. For them an adventure was just beginning.

It was 4 November 1966, and the fearless children I have just described were my mother and my uncle. They lived in Cannaregio, an area that usually avoided the worst of the frequent acqua alta (high water) events that the neighbouring districts of San Marco and Castello were prone to, unless there were exceptional levels of flooding. My mother, Annamaria, was eight and her brother, Massimo, was ten. They did not quite fathom what was happening to their city.

NATURAL PROTECTION

Venice has benefitted greatly from the lagoon’s protection. Its hidden sandbanks have run aground many an attacking force; its scattering of islands have provided military protection from pirates and enemy invasions. While most of Europe’s cities were heavily fortified and their nobility or royalty were retreating behind defensive