From a December 1 newspaper photo. Not a good time to buy those Prada shoes.

From a December 1 newspaper photo. Business as usual.

From a December 1 newspaper photo. Italian's drinking at the foot of the Rialto bridge during the flood. Gotta love em!

From a December 1 newspaper photo.

"The term high water (acqua alta in italian) is a popular way of venetian people to indicate the exceptional tide peaks occuring periodically in the northern region of the Adriatic Sea. Those peaks reach their maximum in the Venetian Lagoon, causing the partial flooding of the urban areas in Venice, Chioggia and even if quite less frequently also in Grado and Trieste. The phenomenon occurs mainly between fall and spring, where there is a combination with the winds hampering the regular reflux." – Wikipedia