Should You Visit Sinking Venice Before It's Too Late?

Photo: AFP PHOTO / ANDREA PATTARO

Flooding in Venice is almost routine. The coastal city famous for its gondola rides is no stranger to dealing with the minor inconvenience of water. Residents are frequently seen trying to carry on normally in spite of the intrusion to daily life... you can often see them sitting in piazza cafe tables wearing swimsuits, or postmen wading through waist high water to carry out their rounds. The latest flood, however, has so far covered more than 70% of the city, getting as high as 5 feet deep. It is the 6th worst flood on record in the 140 or so years since they began keeping records of such things. And this is the fourth record flood in the past dozen years.

The city is sinking naturally by a few millimeters every year. But is Global Climate Change hastening Venice's demise? Italy's Environment Minister thinks so. A long-planned flood barrier is expected to be completed by 2015, but will it be enough to protect the treasured tourist destination from sea levels that are expected to keep rising?

My advice - don't wait to find out. If visiting Venice has ever been on your wishlist, maybe bump it up a few spots, just in case. I will be doing the same. We'll start adding the Venice attractions to our database soon to let you add them to your wishlist.

Source: Huffington Post