Libreria Acqua Alta Venice’s Flooded Bookstore

Libreria Acqua Alta Venice’s Flooded Bookstore

Italy

9:09 PM Add Comment

During the wintertime months , Venice suffers from bouts of periodic flooding , known equally acqua alta , caused past times exceptionally high tides that go on inward the northern Adriatic Sea. These floods lasts 3 to 4 hours , during which H2O pour from the canals onto the streets as well as within buildings. Libreria Acqua Alta , a bookstore inward Venice , has come upward up with a peculiar solution to the problem.

Libreria Acqua Alta , which literally agency “library of high water” , is i of the many businesses inward Venice that floods during acqua alta. As a countermeasure , the bookshop keeps books inward bathtubs , boats as well as a gondola wherever at that topographic point are chances of H2O getting in. When the canal rises as well as the store floods with H2O , the books remain dry out , thank y'all to their special storage spaces.

Photo credit: a2zphoto/Flickr

The bookshop was founded past times Luigi Frizzo inward 2004 , as well as since as well as hence it has cash inward one's chips a unique attraction alongside Venetians as well as tourists alike. Aside from its ambience as well as atmosphere , the huge alternative of books , both novel as well as used , played a major purpose inward the bookstore’s success. Not all books hither are for buying though. Old encyclopedias as well as other thick volumes that no i buys anymore accept been turned into objects of article of furniture as well as pieces of décor. Stacks of former books , worn past times the H2O as well as tabular array salt , comprehend the walls from flooring to the ceiling creating colorful surfaces. Others accept cash inward one's chips a staircase that invites visitors to climb as well as peer over the wall as well as into the nearby canal.

The shop’s virtually famous characteristic , apart from the gondolas , is its burn larn out , which leads visitors straight into the canal.

If y'all determine to catch , Libreria Acqua Alta is located off the Calle Lunga Santa Maria Formosa 5176/B inward the Castello surface area of Venice.

Photo credit: Anne Jacko/Flickr

Photo credit: Marit & Toomas Hinnosaar/Flickr

Photo credit: Silvia Sala/Flickr

Photo credit: Silvia Sala/Flickr

Sources: Venezia.net / Smithsonian / www.spiccandoilvolo.com

Pozzo di S. Patrizio

Pozzo di S. Patrizio

Italy

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Pozzo di S. Patrizio , or the St. Patrick's Well , is a historic good inwards Orvieto , Umbria , key Italy , built betwixt 1527 too 1537 at the behest of Pope Clement VII who had taken refuge at Orvieto during the forcefulness out of Rome yesteryear the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Fearing that the city’s H2O render would last insufficient inwards the outcome of a siege , the Pope assigned the describe of piece of employment to architect-engineer Antonio da Sangallo , who had worked extensively inwards Rome during the Renaissance.

Hailed every bit a masterpiece of hydraulic engineering scientific discipline , the cylindrical good plunges downward to a greater extent than than l meters inwards a double helix blueprint , carrying 2 one-way staircases 1 going upwards too some other going down. This allows people too donkeys loaded alongside H2O vessels to deed without obstruction. At the bottom is a duet where people could walk on too scoop out water. Large windows , placed diametrically contrary to each other , low-cal the staircases naturally. This blueprint was unique at the fourth dimension , because in that location are no other wells similar it anywhere inwards Europe.

Photo credit: orso/Panoramio

The good was originally named Pozzo della Rocca , or the fortress good , every bit it is or too then the Albornoz fortress , that stands on the colina of St. Elias. It was afterwards named after St. Patrick inspired yesteryear the medieval legend of St Patrick's Purgatory , where God revealed to him a pit inwards the terra firma telling him that it was the entrance to Purgatory.

Before the good was completed , Pope Clement VII too Charles V reconciled their differences too the town was never besieged. However , the excavation continued too inwards 1537 , 10 years after operate root began , St Patrick’s Well was completed.

Photo credit: James Good/Flickr

Photo credit: James Good/Flickr

Photo credit: James Good/Flickr

Entrance to the well. Photo credit: Gwendolyn Stansbury/Flickr

Sources: Wikipedia / Ancient Origin / www.inorvieto.it

Venice Minus Water

Venice Minus Water

Italy

11:45 AM Add Comment

For the minute yr inwards a row , depression tides inwards Venice convey sunk to such tape levels that it has left the metropolis close alone without water. Visitors who came to the metropolis expecting to ride gondolas through the city’s famous blue-green canals convey flora their plans foiled , every bit without H2O many of the city’s primary carry convey been left grounded on the canals’ muddied beds.

The exceptionally depression H2O levels convey been caused past times abnormal tides this yr , combined amongst drastically reduced rainfall across northeastern Italy. Although depression tides are mutual but about this fourth dimension of the yr , this yr the H2O levels convey gone downwardly some lxx cm below average. The phenomenon is surprising given that Venice is tardily sinking as well as floods are a to a greater extent than mutual characteristic of the metropolis today than depression tides.

late 1990s , later on close half-a-century of neglect. The metropolis besides lacks a modern sewage system. Historically , all waste matter produced past times humans convey been dumped into the canals although larger buildings are required to demeanour some variety of sewage handling earlier dumping the filthy materials into the canals. Some palazzos convey their ain septic tanks but at that spot is e'er a certainly sum of leakage , lending Venice its characteristic as well as at times overpowering stench.

In recent years , Venice metropolis council has been spending less as well as less on canal maintenance , diverting the funds instead towards the completion of the €5.4 billion MOSE tide gates that volition protect the Venetian lagoon from the frequent overflowing tides that has been plaguing the city. For 50 years through 1970s , industries inwards the surface area recklessly pumped reason H2O from undercover aquifers as well as the metropolis slumped past times some nine inches. The sinking has subsided significantly inwards the past times few decades , but it's withal sinking at the charge per unit of measurement of 1-2mm per year. Under these circumstances , drying upward of the city’s canals is most unusual.

via Local.it , Daily Mail

The Towers of Bologna

The Towers of Bologna

Italy

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In mediaeval times , the urban total of Bologna inwards Northern Italy must get got looked non dissimilar what Manhattan appears today. Hundreds of high-rising towers stood against the heaven overlooking a bounding main of red-tiled rooftops. These towers were condition symbols built yesteryear the city’s rich families to demonstrate their ability together with importance.

Between the twelfth together with the 13th century , Bologna had every bit many every bit 180 towers , mayhap more. In the 13th century , many towers were taken downwards or demolished , together with others merely collapsed. The surviving ones were after utilized inwards different ways , serving every bit prison theatre , urban total tower , store or residential building. The final demolitions took house inwards the 1917 when 2 towers were taken downwards for an ambitious , but retrospectively unfortunate , restructuring programme for the city.

A figurer generated 3D model of mediaeval Bologna. Photo credit: www.cineca.it

No to a greater extent than than 20 towers rest today inwards Bologna. The most famous of them are the Two Towers— the Asinelli together with the Garisenda— whose iconic leaning flat provides a pop symbol for the town.

Both towers are named after the solid unit of measurement names of their respective families. The Asinelli Tower is taller at 97 meters , but the shorter Garisenda Tower , which stands at 48 meters , has a to a greater extent than visible thin , overhanging yesteryear 3.2 meters. Both towers were originally of similar superlative of nearly 60-70 meters , but when the Garisenda Tower started to thin its superlative was lowered inwards the 14th century. The Asinelli Tower , on the other manus , had its superlative extended. In the 14th century the tower was taken over yesteryear the urban total who transformed into a prison theatre together with minor stronghold. During this menses a wooden structure was added to a greater extent than or less the tower at a superlative of thirty meters to a higher house dry reason , which was connected amongst an aerial footbridge to the Garisenda Tower. The footbridge was destroyed during a burn downwards inwards 1398.

Today , it is possible to walk upward the wooden steps to the transcend of the tower for a fantastic overview of the city.

Another depiction of what Bologna powerfulness get got looked similar inwards medieval days. Photo credit: Toni Pecoraro/Wikimedia

Photo credit: Melanie/Flickr

Inside the Asinelli Tower. Photo credit: kyle anthony/Flickr

View of Garisenda Tower from the Asinelli Tower. Photo credit: Michelle Lee/Flickr

View from the Asinelli tower. Photo credit: anthony rue/Flickr

The 2 towers Garisenda (L) together with Asinelli (R). Photo credit: Rob Oo/Flickr

Another artwork depicting mediaeval Bologna’s skyline.