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To be honest, I wouldn’t miss it. I found Venice to be a strange mix of charming ghetto stinkiness, historical oddity and breathtaking beauty.

One of the highest tides in its history brought Venice to a virtual halt, rekindling a debate over a plan to build moveable flood barriers in an effort to save the lagoon city from high tides.

City officials said the tide peaked at 61 inches (156 centimeters), well past the 40-inch (110-centimeter) flood mark, as strong winds pushed the sea into the city.

Alarms went off at 6:37 a.m. to alert citizens, but many residents were taken by surprise because authorities had initially not forecast such a high water level.

In St. Mark’s Square, one of the city’s lowest points, tourists tried to stay dry by hopping on cafe tables and chairs sticking out of the water. The water was so high that someone rowed a small speedboat across the wide square.

Incredible.  This slideshow on Yahoo has a pretty good look at the damage.  Snarkiness aside, it would be a tragedy to lose such a city.  Venice is a true work of art – some may detest it, others find it to be glorious.  There is almost no inbetween for those that have visited.