I will be in Venice at the end of August/early September 2011. I'm so happy to find the acqua alta predictors that have been posted. I ruined a pair of shoes on my first visit by being unprepared.

CafeGoddess and Peter S Aus,
Where did you go in Venice to get your sexy, chic boots (not Peter)? Is there a specific store you recommend or are they widely available?

Delaine,

The sexy,chic boots are are widely available in Venice . I found my boots at a store called

Montanari Davide
San Marco 785
30124 - Venezia

The boots look like patent leather, they are very soft and comfortable. You can either were them below the knees or above, they look great with skinny jeans. Only the Italians can turn an ordinary item into something else!

Just in case people in the future search this topic I wanted to report back. We definitely did need the boots and to the knee was essential. The elevated walkways were not in place on the sidewalk in front of our hotel near the Rialto and several other places we walked. We would have ruined our shoes within minutes of arrival had we not had them. If anyone is going to Venice in November I would highly recommend bringing them or purchasing them there. There were many places to buy them at reasonable prices.

The photos in the slideshow attached to my trip report will give you a better idea.