About the Acqua Alta Bookstore in Venice
This eccentric bookstore was inspired by the “ Acqua Alta ” phenomenon, which occurs between spring and autumn when a high tide floods the houses and streets of Venice for a few hours.
And you know why the bookshop ended up becoming a tourist spot that is beyond unmissable, well, due to the genius idea of its owner, Mr. Luigi Frizzo, all its decoration was created especially to preserve its books when the high tide occurs .
To protect the books from high tide, bathtubs, boats, canoes and other objects are used to keep the books. That is, when the place is flooded by water, the boats simply float, leaving the books preserved. However, it is worth noting that some of them still suffer from excess moisture.
What to find in the bookstore
At the entrance of the bookstore, the visitor is welcomed with a very simple, but very cute sign that says “ welcome to the most beautiful bookstore in the world ”
There are books of various genres and the vast majority in Italian, but it is also possible to find books written in English and in other languages.
Entering the bookshop, a surprise, the place has a very low ceiling and the first impression is of a scene of total mess in a scenario where books are scattered everywhere.
It may seem a little messy at first, but after a glance among the thousands of books and their beyond exotic decoration between Venetian carnival masks, porcelain dolls etc, I say one thing, we fall in love with the chaotic scenery .
Just as it is easy to get lost in the streets of Venice, at Acqua Alta the feeling is the same, but there we get lost among the books.
And what to find besides the books
Cats
I’m a cat lady on duty (I have 6 cats) and in addition to the books, the main attraction at Livraria Acqua Alta are the owner Luigi’s pet kittens, which have become the place’s mascots. I was lucky enough to only see one of them, I think the rest were just too lazy and hidden between the shelves and the various books. And they are still sociable from what I noticed 🙂
A channel right on the fire exit
And at the back of the bookstore is an attraction, a beautiful view of one of the many canals in Venice. Right on the spot there’s a huge window where the fire exit is.
And there’s more, an armchair popular for photos where visitors can enjoy the beautiful view reading a book and who knows, if they’re lucky, see a gondola passing through the canal.
ladder of encyclopedias
And the great highlight of Libreria Acqua Alta that caught my attention when I saw several photos being posted on instagram, was a hyper mega photogenic staircase that is right at the back of the bookstore.
The staircase was built using the books and encyclopedias that were damaged over the years by “acqua alta”. Another ingenious idea by the owner to use them as part of the decoration and a way for visitors to climb the steps to take the classic photo. And detail, through the stairs it is possible to see the canal that is in the background, seen from the top of the wall.
Where is the Acqua Alta Bookshop in Venice
The bookshop is located on the bank of a canal in the historic center of Castello, close to Piazza San Marco. To find it, put the address below in your GPS ⇓
Address : entrance on Calle Lunga Santa Maria Formosa.
Opening hours : open daily from 9 am to 8 pm.
Now tell me, did you feel like meeting her? And the curious one here wants to know, which is the most beautiful bookstore she has ever visited?