09 Nov

How is Venice, Venice and not anywhere else?

In Venice, everyone gets to walk the catwalks.

Because there are certain times in Venice when the only way you can get down a street or through a piazza is by catwalk. ­The reason for this is what really makes Venice, Venice: acqua alta. Venice is the one city I know that water comes from all directions to flood the city, and the floods are not on an annual or random basis but continuous to the point that Venetians must deal with it constantly. When the water starts bubbling up through the drains and the tide is high, the catwalks come out and become the new mode of transportation unless you are willing to brave the puddles with your boots.