Trip to Venice/Rome - Will it be flooding? Places to eat?

Depends on how well you do cold with rain and grey skies. Pls consider that most places will be closed Dec 25 and Dec 26. Perhaps weathering the August heat would be a better option???

I'm assuming this is a bucket list trip for you two, and is very special. Would you consider another location, such as doing Xmas markets in Germany, or if those are your dates, how about Vienna?

I'm so glad you two will have this time together. Safe travels!

If you go in December, the hours of daylight will be reduced. I would wait until May 2023. The weather will be nicer and you will have longer daylight hours

If there is flooding, lean into it. It only lasts a couple of hours and the Venetians have been living with it all their lives. Besides, Venice is a fascinating place while flooding. I've been there twice during flooding, once in May when it was rather mild, and once in February when it was pretty high. May was kids turning the Piazza San Marco into a giant slip-n-slide.

February was the opening weekend of Carneval and it was not about to stop any of the festivities. A note in the lobby of our hotel suggested to have breakfast beginning at 5 am. At 4 am, a siren on the street outside our room went off. We got dressed and went to breakfast at 5:30 am, at 6:30 am someone stood up and said "There is water on the floor!" The hotel staff told us to fill our coffee cups and anything else we wanted to eat and get to the lobby, which was on a higher level. Then they put all the wooden chairs on top of the tables and they removed the wooden doors on the restrooms. Outside, they put up raised walkways on the street so people could get to and from the train station. All the doorways were sand bagged and street vendors jacked up their sheds and were hawking plastic knee length overshoes. Life went on.

We hoped we would see and aqua alta! We were there in Feb and its the only time I have packed my wellies for a holiday! Venice looked so majical with all the reflections, made special memories.

I’ve been to Venice in December, March and July. I’d take the cold and rain over the heat and crowds. Our first trip to Venice, we arrived on Christmas Eve and left on 12/26. It was magical. The streets were all decorated and we rushed around to shops before they closed. We had trouble finding a restaurant open on 12/24, so we stopped at a couple shops and put together a wonderful charcuterie that we ate in the room. At midnight all the church bells started ringing. On Christmas we attended a candlelight vespers concert at St. Marks. What an experience! Then we took a gondola ride and we were the only gondola on the grand canal. We felt like celebrities with everyone taking our picture. Then we went to Murano and wandered the beautiful streets.

We saw the wooden walkways in St. Marks square but we didn’t experience any flooding. I think it would be quite an adventure, except if you’re trying to get to someplace with heavy luggage! Maybe find a hotel close to the vaporetto just in case!

I would never go to Rome in August. Between the crowds and heat, I would be miserable.

It's a tide and like all tides it happens twice a day any day. In fall and winter tides are higher, if the southern winds blow strongly and long towards the lagoon at the wrong time, the lower areas of Venice start being submerged. Then the tide lowers, Venetian mutter a little and that's it.

If it happens people put their rain boots on and walk over the elevated boardwalks. San Marco is the lowest point of the central district, so it's the First one to make the front pages. Avoid it in the early morning and you'll avoid most of the tides.

Thanks for the tips. It’s a relief that it doesn’t sound as bad as I thought. I will be in Rome the 25th and 26. So that won’t be a big concern for Venice. Though I know it will be probably the same but lots of areas to go walk and explore. I thought it’d be cool to be in Rome on Christmas Day. I planned on flying back the 26th so no worries on that one either.
I’m aware weather is unpredictable and all, this is the most reassuring information I have received though, especially that it doesn’t last all day.
I prefer less crowds. As far as daylight is concerned, are most places closed at dusk?

Vaporetto service can be disrupted during Acqua Alta, especially the No. 3, 4, and 5 lines that use the Rio Cannaregio. Boats no longer fit under the bridges that cross the canal. As said, the flooding only lasts a couple of hours.

Here is an in-depth article on the subject of Acqua Alta in Venice. Note in the end it says that the new MOSE protection barriers successfully held back a 125 cm flood event last year.
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/fc26044026214b79b3df26cfa899b473

Thanks Sam! That is really helpful information, I will be sure to remember that :)

Interesting article, Sam. We will be there during the full moon in November. I guess we'll be doing some wading! :)