Hawk61

We'll be in Venice for 4 days in early Oct. I'd thought we'd just carry our sandals and go barefoot during any flooding we encounter but am now wondering if the water is too cold or too dirty for that to be feasible? We don't want to pack big bulky boots and lug them around for the rest of our trip.

flygirl

ick - I wouldn't walk barefoot in that water, it's not gonna be too clean. they put up platforms when it gets high - and they do sell rubber boots. what a great souvenir! don't lug, buy, if you need to.

mclaurie

Sandals in October??? You can buy boots if necessary, but you'll want something better than sandals to walk around. Rubber soled "something" for the cobblestones. I found leather soled boots didn't work.

nytraveler

Exactly - for October you're going to need good walking shoes - not sandals. I mean, in sandals what do you do when it rains (not if - in october it will be raining in italy).

Matrexx

Forget the issues of sandals vs shoes - that's your choice. Aqua Alta shouldn't be a problem in early October - it only starts in earnest in November.

We were there at the end of October and had a couple of days of aqua alta. You don't need boots of any form. They sound the sirens in the night if it is coming. By the time you are up in the morning they will have put up the raised sidewalk platforms everywhere.

Don't worry - you'll be fine and just think of it as a fun adventure and stay patient!

dickv2

Good morning, Hawk61
Don't beleive that high water will be much of a problem in October, was there
on 6 November 2000, did buy boots as soon as the siren sounded, for about 20,000 ITL but found out later the hotel had a stock of them for use by
their guests, don't know if all hotels
provide this service, same as with umbrellas...Boots are cheap, we left them at the hotel on our departure.
Richard of LaGrange Park, IL.

BATUFFOLINA

For more information about high tides and what to do during them, have a look at the thread called "useful inforation about Italy" or put the name "venexiano" in the search box. There was Federico from Venice, under the name of Venexiano who used to post interesting things about his city Venice... I wonder what was of him....

Forgive me punctiliousness Dicky2... but we haven't been using Liras for some years...

BATUFFOLINA

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34443340

Here is the thread about the Helpful information about Italy

Hawk61

Thanks everyone for all the info! (We had a death in the family and I've been unexpectedly away from my computer for about a week or I would've thanked sooner.) I mentioned sandals because I have a pair which strap on solidly, have cushioned soles, and have marched me thru Greece, Turkey, Egypt, France, Italy, (including the cobbles on Rhodes), and more in fine shape. Unless it's really really cold I'm in them. I look forward to buying the boots if we get lucky enough to have an agua alta. What a wonderful souvenir!

flygirl

Hawk, sorry about your family member!



re: agua alta - I wouldn't call it lucky, it's heartbreaking to see the palazzos with water drifting in and out like tides.

one interesting thing I learned - St. Mark's and the Doge's Palace used to be higher up - they have had to raise the street level so many times, you now step DOWN into St. Mark's... and the columns of the Doge's Palace look squat compared to what they used to, ere so many years ago.

GAC

Most of the better hotels in Venice furnish complimentary umbrellas and boots when necessary. You should check with them first.

RufusTFirefly

I it's cool out, do as the Europeans do and wear socks with your sandals.

WillTravel

I've recently tried both of the following walking around in heavy rains (in my home city).

One day I wore my excellent German-made Rieker sandals and socks. Another day I wore New Balance running shoes and socks. The sandals and socks were actually a very comfortable combination (and I had worn the same thing in Berlin a couple months ago also). The New Balance shoes took three days to dry and were extremely uncomfortable.

So in Venice this winter I think I will have a pair of walking shoes for wearing on dry days, but if not, I will have my sandals and socks. I'm not going to count on my hotel having my correct boot size - I have a hard enough time in North America.

Hawk61

Thanks for your kind words Flygirl. It has been hard. And thank you too for reminding me that the agua altas are not "lucky". I didn't know that SM Square is now "lower". I was there when I was 15 (a lotta years ago) and it will be interesting and sad to see the differences. Willtravel and Rufus I appreciate your backup on the sandal issue and thank you for the sox idea since I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have thought of that. GAC, we're staying in a cheapie in Mestre so I doubt that the hotel will supply us with boots but now we know to ask. In any case we'll probably buy them at least for my husband and to have such a nifty souvenir. Batuffolina I appreciate that link....I took loads of notes! Many many thanks to all!