It was only a few months ago that I was ambling across Piazza San Marco watching the pigeons being chased by smart Italian waiters in starched white aprons. You can imagine the shock when I saw the recent pictures of Venice under water!Apparently, it was the deepest flood in 22 years, reaching a depth of 1.56m (5ft, 1 in.), the fourth highest flood level in recent history. Although this flood was severe enough for the mayor to ask tourists to temporarily stay home, Venetian floods are fairly routine and residents usually take it all in their stride.
