Ask me anything November edition
+ a primer on Acqua Alta & a holiday watch & listening list
November is acqua alta season here in Venice. It is the time of year when occasionally the water rises because of a complicated mix of moon phase and tides and wind. Rain is not really a factor. The deep canal that was dug in the 1960’s to create access for large commercial ships into the port of Marghera most certainly is a factor. Acqua alta is fact of life here. It is almost never an emergency.1 Venetians have their boots by the door and the city puts up the passarelle, raised platforms, so you can walk in the lowest parts of the city. There is an app so you can plan around it. Generally it is a minor annoyance and it doesn’t last for all that long. This year Mose, the watergates that protect Venice, have been lifted an unprecedented 15 times in 18 days. (The story is in Italian, but watch the video that starts with talk about food being brought to the workers who must stay on site.) This comes at great expense and stress to the mechanics of the giant engineering project. Engineers and politicians are trying to find the balance between protecting businesses and property and not destroying the fragile ecosystem of the lagoon. We have almost forgotten what it was like before Mose. A few weeks ago while I was swimming in the sea in summery Sicily the eerie alarms that warn that the water is coming were sounded for the first time in 2+ years. Aside from a few hours in Piazza San Marco, the lowest spot in the city, Mose has kept our feet (and houses and restaurants and stores) dry. If you really want to go down the aqua Alta rabbit hole start with
’s in depth post about how the tides work. Then move on to some Mose propaganda and lots of how Mose works information and finish with a dash of the stark realities.My brother is visiting Venice for the first time (I love people’s first time to Venice) from Virginia. He arrived on the eve of the Festa della Salute so we took a long walk across town and over the votive bridge and lit our candles. Tomorrow I will set the table with paper plates and my good silver. We will squeeze around our temporary table with friends and wines from Lazio and a chicken from the butcher down the street and celebrate a slightly chaotic, makeshift Thanksgiving. 2
The tree is up in Piazza San Marco and the lights along the via Garibaldi turned on a few days ago. I am excited for the sparkles lighting our dark afternoons. That means that it’s time to start thinking about holiday list making. These are a few things on my wish list.
I have a fake Christmas tree because I still have needles in the carpet from the one live tree I bought 17 years ago. To compensate I always buy a fancy candle. This year I have my eye on this one or maybe I will get a few of these. To remind me of my recent trip to Sicily I think this ornament would be perfect or this adorable soap. How glam is this Fornasetti umbrella? Here are some great Rome tour and experience ideas I wrote about earlier this year. I am always updating my Amazon shops and Bookshop.org shop. What’s on your list?
Do you have questions about Venice in the winter or Christmas in Rome? Are you already thinking about summer travel plans? Ask me in the comments.