Venice under water! Unusual floods flood the historic old town

Once again the historic old town of Venice is under water. The flood rose to 116 centimeters above normal sea level on Friday night, the municipality said. St. Mark's Square was therefore also under water, because it is the lowest point in Venice.

Flooding is common in Venice, especially in autumn and winter, but it also happens in June. The water last flooded parts of the world-famous Unesco city in June 2016 and 2002. Last November, a flood caused devastating damage. At that time the water was 187 centimeters above sea level.

Tourism in Venice has come to a complete standstill because of the Corona crisis, and the first visitors are only slowly returning. EU citizens have been allowed to enter Italy again since June 3.

Venice visitors jump into the Grand Canal for a swim

And right away two visitors – probably Germans – made headlines that, according to Italian media, jumped into the Grand Canal this week and swam under the Rialto Bridge. This is forbidden and is punished with high penalties.

Read also: Venice: Overrun city now begs for vacationers – how they want to use restart

Mayor Luigi Brugnaro counted many German tourists on May 31, before the Italian borders opened. "Together with a bunch of other people, an incredible 200 Germans have also arrived. Don't ask me how they did it, but they're here. Nobody is stopping the Germans," he said in a TV interview.

Read also: Does "vacation at home" end in chaos summer? – Tourist hotspots crowded: capacities are not enough for all vacationers in Germany