A Rainy Day in Venice, December 1952 Captured in Stunning Vintage Photos

In December 1952, photographer Dmitri Kessel traveled to Venice, Italy, during a stretch of heavy rain and high tides. The flooding triggered “Acqua Alta” — Italian for high water — a seasonal condition that submerges the city’s stone plazas and lower walkways under seawater. Kessel documented it all on black and white film.

St. Mark’s Square, or Piazza San Marco, was the heart of Kessel’s work. The entire plaza sat under several inches of seawater. The city deployed “passerelle” — long wooden platforms raised above the flood — so residents and tourists could cross without getting wet. Those who skipped the platforms wore tall rubber boots or wrapped heavy bags around their legs.

The standing water in the square mirrored the facade of St. Mark’s Basilica and the Clock Tower. December’s gray, misty light blurred the distant buildings into soft silhouettes. Pigeons, normally scattered across the plaza by the hundreds, packed tightly onto the dry steps of the surrounding arches.

Beyond the square, Venice’s narrow alleys and canal bridges told their own story. Wet stones glistened under streetlights. Shopkeepers bolted metal barriers across their doorways to hold back the tide.

Gondoliers kept working through it all, dressed in heavy dark raincoats. The canals ran choppy and high, with water levels nearly touching the undersides of the lowest bridges. Kessel framed their silhouettes against the fog of the Grand Canal.

On the flooded passerelle, pedestrians moved single file, carefully balancing above the submerged plaza. Every step through the open water sent ripples spreading across the square’s reflective surface.

Kessel also recorded the logistics of daily supply runs. Workers transferred crates of food and goods from boats onto the raised platforms, keeping commerce moving despite the flood. Large umbrellas were constant fixtures as people pushed through the rain-soaked alleys.