I have searched the topic but haven't found a great deal about whether it is overkill to pack knee-length waterproof boots for a late November 5 day trip. I don't want to have limitations because we are not prepared.

Do those of you in love with Venice in winter bring your own boots? I have heard that some hotels will loan them. We are staying at Locanda Sturion for 5 days over Thanksgiving. I am sure that we can buy them there but then it's almost too late. Would appreciate other's advice. These look comfy and reasonable but not exactly cute:

http://www.landsend.com/pp/WellieBoo...07__0000001318

I will also be in Venice over Thanksgiving and think I will pack boots that look something like these:

http://www.amazon.com/Tingley-Execut...=pd_sbs_shoe_1

Mine are Totes-very lightweight, collapse into nothing so easy to pack. Used them on a previous trip to Venice.

Hoping for good weather but will be somewhat prepared.

when we were in Venice a few years ago, there were shops selling wellington boots that looked very smart.

I bought DD a lovely pair from a little shop along the strada nova which sold proper shoes to locals, not a tourist shop, for about €10.

as it may be cold and wet anyway, no harm in taking boots if you'vee got some.

They look much easier to pack than the ones I was considering but I also want to consider the splash factor.

The acqua alta in Venice is phenomenon related to high tides, the moon and rain storms.

Using your travel dates and 10-day-weather forecasts, you can look online to get some indication of whether your few days' stay in Venice puts you at risk of high tides.

Even if it does, so long as you stay out of the San Marco area in the mornings, you have a 99 percent chance of getting splashed by anything. That chance drops to 99.9 percent if you stick to walking on the elevated walkways that the city helpfully sets up when there is low lying flooding in the low-lying districts.

But you need comfortable waterproof shoes, at least ankle high, if you plan to go anywhere in Italy in November.

Typo alert --

I meant to write: "You have a 99 percent chance of NOT getting splashed"

Thank you for the replies. I do love to walk early in the morning and was rather hoping to get glimpse of the acqua alta so a high tide or two won't rain on my parade. I'm also a picture taker and would not want to clog up the walkways by pausing for photos. Besides, I am an over-preparer by nature so I've taken the leap to order the Land's End version above for myself.

My 12 year old son and husband will be traveling together and meeting my son who is studying in Europe for the fall semester. Since we live near Gloucester Ma (home of the Gloucester Fisherman) there is no shortage of waterproof knee highs for men so I can pick some of those for the guys cheap at a marine supply store. I'll be stylin' by comparison.

Yes, you will need them if it is raining when you are here. I had to buy Wellies when I got here a week ago and of course it stop raining the next day. You won't have a hard time finding them in Venice. It was fogging today and no rain

My beautiful leather boots are ruined.

I don't know what kind of boots cafegoddess was wearing, but most people do not need Welles anywhere in Italy just because it rains. You might want to read this link before you fill up your suitcase with Wellies you most likely won't need -- (or in a desperate moment, you can buy cheap plastic boots in Venice).

http://www.italyheaven.co.uk/veneto/...cqua-alta.html

If you stay out of the parts of town that don't flood during the brief time in the morning it floods, you won't be in anybody's way taking pictures.

But if you want to tote Wellies to Venice to protect shoes you sholdn't wear in the rain, don't let me stop you!

Don't get excited Zeppole. If it is raining all day and you are out and about your shoes/boots will get wet. I did not tell her to "fill up" her suitcase with Wellies.

Thank you. I have read a bit about the acqua alta which is what spurred the question. I've also seen evening photos of San Marco and other low areas in the winter months covered in a couple inches of water. I think I'll err on the side of comfort and caution and bring them along.

No one will ever mistake me for a Roman or Parisian fashion wise but I do have some standards. I simply must draw the line at plastic trashbags secured around the knees with rubberbands.

"I've also seen evening photos of San Marco and other low areas in the winter months covered in a couple inches of water."

Keep in mind that the water comes and goes every few hours. We spent 5 days at Thanksgiving in Italy in 2008. It rained 3 of the 5 days. We heard acqua alta alarms on 2 of the 5 days. The only tide that was causing problems was the morning tide. Even with that, we needed no different footwear than our usual water-resistant comfortable shoes, and that was with 6-8 inches of water covering Piazza San Marco at high tide.

Here’s a link to the tide prediction web page – it’s generally accurate for the next couple of days.
http://venicexplorer.net/venice_weather.php?hlangs=en

San Marco is the lowest place in Venice, so floods first. The water is deeper along the north (Quadri’s) side of the Piazza, shallower along the south (Florians) side. San Marco can flood at any time of day or night – it depends on when high tide comes. Depending on the tide height and location, inundation can last from an hour to three hours., but even then, the footpath under the colonnade on the south side generally stays dry.
Rubber boots cost about 20 euro, and the plastic boots (which are a stout plastic bag with a sole attached) cost about 8 euro. The plastic boots go over your regular shoes. As the OP said, trashbags and rubber bands are a tad passé. We were in Venice over winter a couple of years ago, following on from some very high tides. I guess that over an 8 week period, we’d have used rubber boots a couple of dozen times.
The range of rubber boots in Venice is very fashionable – rubber boots with high heels for ladies even, and in various flash colours.

We’ll be in Venice from 20th November onwards – I’m trying to get a get-together together.

Thank you Peter! I may regret not waiting for the higher fashion versions found in the Venice shops but at least I'll be prepared come what may.

We arrive on Thanksgiving morning (25th) from Boston and only have 5 days. We leave on Tuesday the 30th. If your get-together falls during that time we will try to make it. I'll bookmark your thread on the topic.

Quinnsmom, any time from Saturday 27th to when you leave would work, and might be fun. We're staying in Dorsoduro, about 15 minutes from your hotel.

And this might amuse your 12 year old:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-teenagers.cfm

Ha! What a fantastic treasure hunt, thank you Peter! My boys were both big fans of the Thief Lord and the age difference is just about that of Prosper and Bo. I will print out the treasure hunt and hope that Prosper, now 19, will be a good sport and participate.

Now I have a treasure hunt for you. I noticed that you said you are staying near the Campo San Barnaba. According to my map there is a violin maker located on the corner of 2 canals at the end of Calle lunga San Barnaba. The 2 canals are Rio dell'Avogaria and Rio di San Barnaba. I have googled violin makers in Venice and nothing comes up for that address. I don't have a name and it may be an old map. It says that you can watch them work. Serendipitously, it was one of the first things we had planned to look for. What a coincidence that you are staying just a few doors down. We will certainly be in your neighborhood and will make a point to meet for a drink.

Wellies are a great idea - especially as this has been one of the worst rainy seasons on record. I noticed that no one has mentioned the recent flooding. In case no one heard - here is a report of the flooding in Northern Italy last last week - that continues:

Over 10,000 people evacuated from flood-hit northern Italy

Over 10,000 people have been evacuated in northern Italy following the floods which have so far caused the death of three residents, while other two are still missing.

An old man of 75 was found dead near the town of Vicenza, according to ANSA news agency. He apparently drowned in the basement of his home, submerged by 2 meters of water.

The man was missing since Monday, when floods hit the area killing a mother and her son.

The situation remains critical. The civil protection unit, responsible for all natural calamities striking the country, is at work on the ground with teams of volunteers, firemen and soldiers in an attempt to clear the houses of the mud and debris.

More than 120 northern towns are striving: several schools have closed and transport has been interrupted. The civil protection estimates damage amounting to 200 million euros.

The local governor Luca Zaia on Wednesday sent a letter to Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi asking for the allocation of " extraordinary resources to re-launch the region's economy", which is already suffering from the calamity.

"Our region has been brought to its knees, we need help. Don' t abandon us," he wrote, appealing as well to the entire nation and stressing that the emergency was even worse than the 1966 floods, when entire cities were inundated.

Bad weather and floods have also hit the southern region of Calabria, where the port-town of Gioia Tauro was inundated.

A hundred residents were evacuated to hotels, others at parent' s homes. The military are occupied in protecting the abandoned areas from looting while firemen are clearing streets of animal corpse to prevent infections spread.

Quinnsmom, here's another Venice quest that could amiuse your kids.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...asure-hunt.cfm

Catching up for a drink sounds good. Email at
venice dot two dot ten at gmail dot com would reach me.

Quinnsmom

The rubber boots in Venice are so sexy and chic! I love my new boots, they don't look like rubber boots.

It figures goddess, my clunky Lands End ones just arrived last night. They are the ones I linked to in the original post. They are comfy tho and fit slimly around the calf so they don't flop around and look sloppy. They will be fine with straight jeans or leggings and the lower heel will probably be easier on my feet while walking miles around the city. I marveled at the elegant cobblestone maneuvering the fashionable Roman women were able to do in impossible looking heels. They must have ankles of steel.


I might be tempted to pick up a fashion pair there for my work at home because I do have to do a bit of sloshing around in wet and muddy conditions.