Part of the allure of Venice is that it’s a ‘floating’ city, built on 118 islands in the middle of the Venetian Lagoon at the head of the Adriatic Sea in Northern Italy.

It’s why every single person who has ever visited has uploaded a picture of them on a gondola, weaving through the canals that connect parts of the city.

At the moment, though, the city is being devastated by heavy flooding. The worst in a decade, the floods are caused by a combination of powerful storms and high tides, with at least 11 people killed in the region.

Here’s National Geographic:

Long known as the City of Canals or City of Water, Venice faces serious long-term threats to its very survival. With climate change and sea levels rising globally, the low-lying city has often been the poster child for cultural heritage and people at risk. Experts have warned the Mediterranean Sea basin could rise as much as five feet by the end of this century, putting the city in jeopardy of being inundated twice a day. Already the city has been experiencing serious flooding about four times a year.

The city’s leaders have seen the rising water for some time and have been working on an ambitious defense plan. But corruption is widely alleged to have slowed the process. Called MOSE (MOdulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico), the project is an acronym for a system of walls meant to protect the city and lagoon from the sea. The system is based on decades-old technology, and not all scientists and engineers are convinced it will save the city in the long run, even when it’s completed. It may be a losing battle, they warn.

Coupled with the fact that tourists are flocking in huge numbers, the city has some big calls to make.

Let’s have a look around at scenes of flooding:

Despite the deluge, the show must go on, and businesses are doing their best to keep things ticking over.

Take this pizzeria featured on Mashable, for example, where Wellies seems to be the mandatory staff footwear:

Look, people want to eat pizza – come rain, shine, or mass flooding.

[sources:natgeo&mashable]