The half a million-odd visitors who piled into Venice for pre-Lent Carnevale celebrations last week were met with an unusual sight: its picturesque canals reduced to a muddy trickle. With such a backdrop, the festival – with its magnificently costumed revellers – lost a little of its lustre.

As gorgeous as it is, the lagoon city has its share of problems. Cruise ships have long blighted the views, though the largest of the vessels which used to saunter past St Mark’s Square, dwarfing the city and damaging the delicate ecosystem of the lagoon bed, have been banished to more distant waters.

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Tourist hordes continue to turn narrow calli into unpassable channels. And the risk of finding yourself up to your ankles in overflowing canal water is still an integral part of the autumn acqua alta season.

Extreme low tides, on the other hand, are altogether less expected.

Read more: The Telegraph