Have you been to Venice when it was flooded?

Saw a little bit of Acqua Alta in May, 2012. Not much more than water bubbling up through the drain in Piazza San Marco. Kids loved it as it was the biggest Slip-N-Slide ever.

February, 2015 was more severe. From a write-up I did afterward.

When we checked into the hotel, we were handed a note with the following message:
“Dear Sirs, Due to high tide we suggest you to have breakfast tomorrow 1st February at 6:50 am. Our Staff remain at your disposal for any further information.”
Hmmm. At 6:30 am, what sounded like a tornado warning siren went off outside the hotel. With no need for a wake-up call, we headed down to breakfast. A nice breakfast buffet which besides the usual items included scrambled eggs and bacon was provided. After chowing down, someone with a canal side table stood up and announced “Hey! There’s water all over the floor!”. Sure enough, high tide was indeed coming in, and now, the somewhat cryptic message became crystal clear. The staff immediately hustled in to start clearing tables, tucking the table clothes up, stacking the chairs on the tables, and encouraging the remaining guests to grab a to-go cup and get out of the way. Doors were removed from the lobby rest rooms and other precautions that nothing made of wood would contact the water. The elevator was set to go no lower than the 1st floor. Fortunately, the lobby, check in desk, and stairway were a few steps above the restaurant level and apparently safe.
Outside the hotel on the Lista di Spagna, the raised walkways were set up and the street vendors protected their stands and brought out their latest wares, plastic below-the-knee walking overshoes. 5 euro, gettem while they’re hot. The water began bubbling up out of the street drains, slowly inundating the street in front of the hotel. The Lista di Spagna is a main walking route between the train station and right bank of the Grand Canal, by 9 am with the water near max the walkway was a solid line of bodies, many hauling roller boards to and from the station. Interesting situation when two people with over sized suitcases met going opposite directions on the meter wide walkway. Add in baby carriages, large dogs, and children and it was quite the show. Venetians with stylish rubber boots and tourists with the 5 euro specials nonchalantly splashed alongside the walkways, bypassing the traffic jam.
By 11 am, it was all over, the water was down, the walkways were disassembled, and the hotel staff was cleaning up the dining room, hosing down the floor, then mopping up with bleach water before putting everything back in its place. Just another day in the life of Venice. This happened the other 2 mornings in Venice, each time one hour later than the previous high tide.

Here is a trip report from Rena from last October when she and her friends landed in Venice in the midst of flooding.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/venice-acqua-alta-oct-2018-lessons-learned

Fortunately she had been to Venice a number of times and although she had not been to this apartment, knew how to find her way around.

Read down to the end for her additional comments. A neighbor provided them some food so they did not have to go out to try and find an open store in the midst of the rising water. Rena comes to our local RS meet-up and to hear tell the story in person was just amazing and to learn about the kindness of the neighbor was heartwarming!

Pam, I remember that report!

But I also seem to recall that last October's acqua alta was an extreme event? Highest levels measured in the past decade, and heavy rainfall/storms affected other parts of Italy as well?

Just to help the OP relax, I don't believe a normal acqua alta is nearly as severe!

Mid April 2002. I can't remember the height but rubber boots were adequate. Our apartment was 2 short blocks off St. Marks and came with a plethora of boots and sizes. Asmit was raining, we preferred the boots anyway.

It was funny, I'd love to see it again.

Kathy...yes, last October was extreme. According to this Wiki article it was the 4th highest since 1923.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acqua_alta

is there a website that you can watch to see if a Acqua Alta is coming ?

If you'll look at the link I posted, in the first paragraph Rena has a link to an app you can download.

The app is called Water on the Venice Floor. Very handy.
Another app that every Venetian has on their phone is Che Bateo (Which Boat), which links to the vaporetto timetables. Plug in departure and arrival vap stops and the app gives times and connections.

May 2013. (Yeah, ages ago.) I felt sorry for the tourists having to pull their heavy bags through it. Some places required more wading than others. There were little walkways set up in troublesome places, though, and my feet finally dried out. (My shoes were never quite the same, though.)

It was totally worth it.

"Another app that every Venetian has on their phone is Che Bateo (Which Boat)"
This is very relevant during acqua alta as the rise in canal levels mean that the vaporetti are unable to get under some of the lower bridges - so there are cancellations on some routes until water levels drop.

We experienced high water in late February, probably 10 years ago. Some of the streets had a couple inches. St Marks Square had maybe 6-8 inches, other areas none.

It was an inconvenience, but did not stop the show, life went on, if anything, it added a different element to the visit.

The Venetians have it worked out, have raised pathways they put up so you can pass or stand in line for the Cathedral, lots of places either have boots for use, or sell them. Since the event is primarily tidal, the flooding peaks during the day (or night) and then recedes.

While apps and tidal charts can indicate the probability of an event, the wild card is rain. The more notable events seem to occur when a high tide hits and it is compounded by rain in the area, causing high water in the lagoon from runoff.

I am curious but have never asked before. Sam said:" Not much more than water bubbling up through the drain in Piazza San Marco. "
So is it sewage bubbling up from the flooded drains????

Mid-October 2016, it rained, as in poured, for 2 days and nights. Acqua Alta, had to wear those rain boots they sell everywhere. Walking the planks in St. Mark’s Square. Quite a mess.
I am going back for 5 nights April 2020, airfare is already paid. Hope it will be nice weather.

So is it sewage bubbling up from the flooded drains????

The drains are connected to the Grand Canal, so however clean the water is in the Grand Canal, that is how clean the water is.

Acqua Alta happens when the moon and the southern Winds work together. While the moon is quite predictable, nobody can actually forecast wind speed and direction more than one week in advance. Take all acqua alta forecasts with a grain of salt.

There is no sewage system in Venice, they have tanks that must be periodically emptied using special boats. The water bubbles out of drains that were Specifically built to let rain out and the lagoon in. It works like a sail boat: Let water enter and exit ASAP. If the sea couldn't find an open Way to reach the level it wants to reach, over the centuries it would have built its own way through the buildings.

hey hey photo
our adventure was sept/oct 2011, a few years ago. arrived in Venice for Greek island cruise on a Saturday, great sunny weather, on Sunday rented a car and went to bardolino lake Garda for fabulous wine festival. Driving back Monday was storming, windy & pouring rain. get back to Venice and it’s flooded, what a sight. I have slippers (flip flops) on, couple bottles bardolino wine important not to drop, slip off shoes and walk to apt in San Polo area, wine made it and we had happy hour on little balcony with the rain. next day stepped out and flooded, middle of calf, walk barefoot again towards San Marco plaza on planks, had a Bellini at harry’s bar and enjoyed the day. it’s what vacation dealt us, went with the flow, later that day was over. we laughed so much with this crazy adventure and would do it again, that’s why it’s such a magical place. go for it
aloha

We were there last year in late October a day after the big acqua alta and it was so worth it! We missed the really high water day but the hotel owner where we stayed said it receded fairly quickly. There was an acqua alta two of the three days we were there. St. Marks Square had water about a foot high one afternoon but was dry that night and next morning it had over a foot of water again. We were touring Doge's Palace and an alarm went off to notify everyone of the acqua alta. On the first day, we just purchased the shoe coverings that come up to your knees from a vendor in the square for 10 Euros and waded right through the square. You could also walk on the raised sidewalk but it was quicker on the ground! It didn't stop us a bit! It actually added to the experience of being in Venice!

We were there in October a few years ago. It was quite an unusual experience, for me anyway! To make our way throughout the city, we used walkways quickly put up so we could walk over the water. Rubber boots were rampant! The water receded rather quickly and never got very deep. The walkways were dissembled and stored alongside, ready for the next time. Of course it's worth it, for us anyway. It just added to the uniqueness of the city.

We were there when St Mark’s Square started to flood. We had “Maps to Go” on our phone so we were able to find our way around the flooded area without walking thru the water. Those people who did not have a map only knew the way back to the hotel by going thru the flooded square. Not all of the elevated walk ways were set up. Those who walked thru the water were easy to spot because they had the wet shoes at our group dinner. It actually is quite of a unique event to watch. People were still eating at the tables in the square with the water surrounding their table. The reflection of St. Mark church in the water made for a great picture.

Mine was February 6, 2015. I began in Padua with snow on the 5th and not just a flurry. It was not as great an experience as Rome in snow, but rather a minor inconvenience. The next morning I took the train to Venice and as we pulled into the train station, an Venetian passenger told me what the loudspeaker announcement was - acqua alta. The station was full of umbrella-sellers hawking the colorful knee-high booties which I passed up. I had no trouble getting on the vaporetto and taking it to the Dorsoduro. Then I was able to manage the wheelie on the wooden ramps and the pavement to the campo which was about 200-300 meters from my hotel at which point the lane was blocked by huge puddles. If I hadn't had the suitcase, I could have skirted around them. I spent about an hour or so in a little cafe and waited for the water to subside, after which I had no problem wheeling the suitcase the rest of the way. There was another acqua alta event that night - I know because I heard the sirens around 11 pm on my way home (the warnings are 3-4 hours before peak flooding). The next morning there were only a few little puddles and by the afternoon everything was dry. I've been to Venice 3 times at full moon in February and this was the only time there was acqua alta. I would not have missed the experience for the world. Actually seeing it gave me new insights into Venetian life and problems. My only regret is that I wasn't there the night before so I could have gone out and explored other parts of the city and taken a couple hundred photos.

This article is very informative. Also follow the link to the map to see where flooding is most severe and book a hotel in one of the less flood-prone areas.