Acqua alta (high water) has become a fact of life in Venice. The condition takes place when, occasionally, the lagoon water level rises above the level of the squares and streets, flooding them, causing grave inconvenience to water transport and traffic. The areas which are affected by flood the most include the lower points of many fondamente (streets bordering canals), calli (streets), and campi (squares). Only very seldom are wide parts of the city flooded. However, these floods are generally limited to a few centimetres of water, so that, usually, a pair of common Wellington boots is enough to overcome the problem.

Acqua alta is caused mainly due to the astronomical tides and the geographic position of the Adriatic Sea, and emphasised by particular meteorological conditions. Again, winds, rains and, especially in the past, continental fresh waters, also lead to acqua alta. The actions and interference of man in nature has also magnified the problem. High tides get particularly huge when the barometric pressure undergoes a substantial decrease and/or there is a strong bora or scirocco (south-east) wind. The widest tide excursions usually occur at new and full moon periods (syzigies), in the first and last quarter of the moon (quadratures) the abundant high tide phenomenon is less likely to happen. This can happen several times a year, at irregular intervals, usually in the colder months. Acqua alta usually lasts a few hours and coincides with high tide.

The people of Venice have devised several means to face the situation. They have raised walkways in side alleys ready to be pulled out when acqua alta hits. When the city begins to flood, sirens will sound to warn residents and businesses.

Tourists are advised to procure an acqua alta map at the tourist offices either at the railway station or St Marks. This will show you the higher, dry routes and the ones with walkways setup during the various flood alerts. There is a tide measuring station at the Rialto vaporetto piers, and a notice board at the base of the Campanile in the Piazza San Marco that shows a live tide reading and predictions for the next few days.

The Corer museum or Museo Correr is one of the biggest museums of Venice. Its display relates the history of Venice from the 13th to the 16th century. Besides the collection the building itself is remarkable. Its beauty is worth immense praise.

Paintings, prints, coins, weapons, military regalia etc all kinds of objects of the medieval and Renaissance period in Venice can be found here. Besides these objects of the Risorgimento, but the objects of the Libreria Sansoviniana period are also displayed here.

The Risorgimento period that marks the resurgence in Italian nationalism, has a smaller museum dedicated to it. Its displays relate the story of legendary Daniele Manin, and his rebellion against the Austrians.

The Libreria Sansoviniana is situated in the piazza, in the open space between San Marco and the waterfront pavement of the Molo. This building is not only beautiful but alos holds great historical significance! Its architecture is one of the most exemplary forms of Venetian architecture.

It features paintings of philosophers by Tintoretto, Veronese and Andrea Schiavone. Its library is one of the largest and it has a beautiful frescoed ceiling which is called Titian’s Wisdom.

The museum also features Lorenzo Lotto’s Portrait, Antonello da Messina’s Pieta, Vittore Carpaccio’s Two Venetian Ladies and a few works of Luca Cranach and Hugo Van der Goes. The prolific Bellini family also finds its place here! Jacopo Bellini’s Crucifixion, Gentile Bellini’s Portrait of Doge Mocenigo, his brother Giovanni Bellini’s the Transfiguration and the important Pieta are all present here.

Though Venice has no dearth of tourist attractions, one of the must see sights here is the exotic Doge’s Palace, also known as the Palazzo Ducale. Standing between the lagoon and Piazza San Marco, the palace has been rebuilt and modified a number of times, though a major portion of it can be dated back to 15^th century. The building is often termed as an oversized wedding cake owing to the fact that it has been built in a dazzling pink and white marble design.

The palace was originally the residence of the Doge – or chief magistrate – until the fall of the Venetian Empire in 1797. The interiors of the buildings are a pleasant sight to the eyes due to their intricate and ornate decoration and ranking the top position among all the rooms in the palace is the huge Grand Council Chamber – in which over 2000 people routinely used to meet at one time. This chamber takes pride in its wall paintings which include portraits of the 76 Doges that have ruled Venice over the years. One of the portraits is that of the Doge Marin Faliero who was accused of treason and beheaded in 1355. To this day, his portrait is still covered with a black cloth. Also worth noticing is the huge painting called Paradise by the artist Tintoretto – supposedly the world’s largest oil canvas.

Another remarkable room is the Senate Chamber where the senate met regularly to pass laws. This room has another painting from Tintoretto– The Triumph of Venice, painted on the ceiling.

The Giant’s Staircase of the palace has two huge statues of Neptune and Mars situated at the top of the stairs – symbolizing the state’s control over both sea and land. The romantic Bridge of Sighs links the palace to the nearby prison.

The recommended way to visit the palace is to take the Secret Itineraries guided tour, which takes the visitors through many secrets of this remarkable palace like the secret rooms, hidden passageways and the torture chamber.

Perhaps one of the major attractions of Venice, without which a visit to the city would be incomplete, is the gondola ride. This traditional, flat-bottomed rowing boat has been the chief means of transportation and most common watercraft within Venice for a long time. Now-a-days, with more advanced means of transport, the primary role of these gondolas has shifted to carrying tourists for a ride at fixed prices. However, a word of advice for all tourists here would be to forget about the price of the gondola ride (they are certainly not pocket friendly) and concentrate on the ride itself.

The city of Venice sets official rates for gondola rides, which started at €80 for 40 minutes the last time we checked. Additional 20-minute increments are €40. After 7 p.m., the base rate climbs to €100, with €50 for an additional 2 minutes. Up to six people can share a gondola. However, we need to mention here that the gondoliers often play with these prices according to the demand of the season. They could even offer special services such as a singer for extra charges. It is advisable that the tourists negotiate the price and the time schedule of the ride clearly before setting on to one. Hotels also offer services for the arrangement of a gondola ride, but it comes with a hefty charge.

Well, the prices charged by these gondoliers are not totally unfair as they have to invest a good sum in their boats. A traditional hand-built wooden gondola can cost upto €20,000 and runs fairly well for about 20 years. Moreover, Venice being a costly city, the gondolier’s cost of living is also very high.