Some Venice Sites Reopen After City Suffers Third Flooding in a Week

After being brought to “its knees” from the worst flooding the city has seen in more than 50 years—and second-worst ever recorded—last week, Venice is still struggling with high water levels, though some respite may be on the way.

According to the AP, Venice saw its third high tide of the week on Sunday. Sunday’s tide, at 1.6 meters, marked the third time in a week that the tide reached a level above 1.5 meters, a level that had never been reached more than once in a year since records began in 1872.

The level shrunk to less than a meter later in the day on Sunday, giving locals and visitors some relief.

Still, the floods are keeping tourist sites, including St. Mark’s Basilica where authorities stocked sandbags to stop water from entering the crypt, closed as residents and business owners continue to deal with the conditions, while others have reopened.

St. Mark’s Square in the heart of the city has been reopened after catwalks were repositioned over the weekend, according to Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro. The same with Doge’s Palace, where high water did not damage any of the museum’s works of art.

Correr Museum, located near St. Mark’s Square, has remained open through the floods.

The Venice Opera House has cancelled all public activities until Nov. 23, though the ticket office and gift shop are open.

Cruise Line changes
Cruise lines, which were banned from docking in the city center in August of this year, have announced changes to itineraries because of the floods, according to Cruise Critic.

Norwegian Cruise Line has rerouted Spirit away from Argostoli and Venice, replacing the calls with a day at sea and an overnight in Ravenna.

MSC Cruises is changing itineraries for MSC Sinfonia and MSC Magnifica, replacing their calls in Venice with calls at Trieste instead.