Chairs, boots, umbrellas and memorabilia exposed in full sun: the 50,000 inhabitants of the historic center of Venice have benefited from an upturn to try to dry their homes or the contents of their stalls after a historic flood. Tuesday, the worst high tide in 53 years submerged the Italian city.
The high tide on Thursday morning was rather moderate, reaching 1.13 m (at 10.30), far from the 1.87 cm of Tuesday night, the second historic record behind that of November 4, 1966 (1.94 m). Thanks to this respite, the mood was rather merry, the tourists having fun to furrow the immense place Saint-Marc shod with plastic boots, orange, blue or yellow, or to sip a coffee feet in the water in the few bars or restaurants open.
The Serenissima, the nickname of this lake city, receives 36 million tourists a year, 90% of foreigners. For Manon Gaudre, seeing Venice under the water is "a unique experience" but this 22-year-old French tourist is worried about "damage to monuments and people". St. Mark's Basilica or the Fenice Theater have been hit by muddy, salty water from the lagoon.