Photographer Giona Stringa went to Venice late last year and caught (on camera) the city submerged in water
“High tide is a phenomenon that happens in Venice, mostly during the winter season. It is given by various factors, individually or in combination, namely the Scirocco wind, the “sessa” (a sort of long wave, given by the periodic movement of the Adriatic waters) and the astronomic tide.
This did not create problems in the past centuries, as the canals were the roads most used; however, with the passing of time, the latter were buried to become alleys, which took away space from the water. As a consequence of this, the gradual lowering of the city, the phenomena (called subsidence) has become more and more visible.
San Marco Square is one of the first places to be submerged since it is one of the lowest. People living in Venice have got used to this phenomenon for centuries and are not get greatly affected by it, except for the ones who live or have businesses on the lower ground floor. Tourists, on the other hand, can experience high tide, since the hotels provide them with rubber boots for them to go around the city. In a few years a large system of dams, called Mose, will stop this unique and fascinating phenomenon that has affected the city of Venice for hundreds of years.”
