Venice was hit by the second highest tide recorded in the lagoon city on Tuesday, flooding its historic basilica and leaving many of its squares and alleyways deep underwater.
Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said he would declare a state of disaster and warned of severe damage. City officials said the tide peaked at 6.14ft at 10.50pm, just short of the record 6.4ft set in 1966.
Saint Mark's Square was submerged by more than 3.3 ft of water, while the adjacent Saint Mark's Basilica was flooded for the sixth time in 1,200 years.
Four of those inundations have now come in the last 20 years, most recently in October 2018. There was no immediate word on any damage inside the Church. In 2018, the administrator said the basilica had aged 20 years in a single day.
Video on social media showed deep waters flowing like a river along one of Venice's main thoroughfares, while another showed large waves hammering boats moored alongside the Doge's Palace and surging over the stone sidewalks.
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'A high tide of 187cm is going to leave an indelible wound,' Brugnaro said.
Much of Italy has been pummelled by torrential rains in recent days, with wide spreading flooding, especially in the southern heel and toe of the country.
In Matera, this year's European Capital of Culture, rain water cascaded through the streets and inundated the city's famous cave-dwelling district.
Further bad weather is forecast for the coming days.
Tourists were seen wading through flooded streets to seek shelter as a fierce wind whipped up waves in St. Mark's Square.
The exceptionally intense 'acqua alta,' or high waters, rose above six feet as the flood alarm sounded across the Italian city of canals, the tide monitoring centre said.
Tables and chairs set out for aperitifs bobbed along alleyways in the dark, as locals and tourists alike waved aloft inside-out umbrellas, the water slopping over the top of even the highest waders and wellies.
Water taxis attempting to drop people off at the glamorous and historic hotels along the Grand Canal discovered the gangways had been washed away, and had to help passengers clamber through windows.
'It will be a long night,' Brugnaro tweeted, saying that as the water level began to drop again 'the fears of a few hours ago are now being replaced by an assessment of the damage done'.
The exceptional flood was 'a wound that will leave a permanent mark', he said.
A couple of French tourists caught out said they had 'effectively swum' after some of the wooden platforms placed around the city in areas prone to flooding overturned.
Antique pieces of furniture could be seen submerged in low-lying hotels and homes.
Since 2003, a massive infrastructure project has been underway to protect the city, but it has been plagued by cost overruns, scandals and delays.
The plan calls for the construction of 78 floating gates to protect Venice's lagoon during high tides.
St. Mark's Square is particularly affected by the high tides, as it is located in one of the lowest parts of the city.
The vestibule of the basilica was inundated with water, and authorities planned to watch the building overnight.
Pierpaolo Campostrini, a member of St. Mark's council, said the scale of the flooding on Tuesday had only been seen five times in the long history of the basilica, where construction began in 828 and which was rebuilt after a fire in 1063.
Most worryingly, Campostrini said, three of those five episodes occurred in the last 20 years, most recently in 2018.
Venice was not alone: powerful rainstorms swept through Italy on Tuesday, hitting the south hard as well.
The heavy rainfall closed schools in several southern cities including Taranto, Brindisi, and Matera, as well as the Sicilian cities of Pozzallo and Noto, according to the national weather service.
In Matera, this year's European Capital of Culture, a tornado caused trees and lamp posts to fall, damaging numerous roofs and buildings. No injuries were reported.
Tourists and Venetians alike donned high boots and took to temporary raised walkways to slosh through the high water that has hit much of the lagoon city.
The high water invaded cafes, stores and other businesses. Sirens warned people in Venice of the rising water, and as a precaution, authorities closed nursery schools.
A top tourist attraction, the Ducal Palace, just off St Mark's Square, tweeted that it was 'open today, despite the exceptional tide', and advised visitors to use the raised walkways leading to its entrance.
Many hotels keep disposable knee-high plastic boots handy for tourists. Venetians' wardrobes often include over-the-knee rubber boots.
Bad weather is continuing to dog Italy, with no real let-up forecast for several days.
In Policoro, a southern town in an area known for its ancient Greek ruins, a whirlwind ripped the roofs off two homes, but the occupants inside escaped injury, Italian news reports said.
In the same region of Basilicata, areas of the tourist town of Matera, famed for its Sassi former cave dwellings, were flooded after heavy rains.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
