During the winter months, Venice suffers from bouts of periodic flooding, known as acqua alta, caused by exceptionally high tides that occur in the northern Adriatic Sea. These floods lasts three to four hours, during which water pour from the canals onto the streets and inside buildings. Libreria Acqua Alta, a bookstore in Venice, has come up with a peculiar solution to the problem.

Libreria Acqua Alta, which literally means “library of high water”, is one of the many businesses in Venice that floods during acqua alta. As a countermeasure, the bookshop keeps books in bathtubs, boats and a gondola wherever there are chances of water getting in. When the canal rises and the store floods with water, the books stay dry, thanks to their special storage spaces.

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