this is our first post in a long time, and while I'm writing, Venice is going through a particularly challenging time. During 12-17 November, we witnessed three serious floods. Outwardly, the city looks like she always does: Venice is recovering and at first glance, you would never guess that only three weeks ago, the water level reached 187 cm on Piazza San Marco.
In the background, we are working to get the city back to life. We finished cleansing and are now waiting for our homes to dry. Only then will we be able to determine what has been damaged and to what extent.
Not just the homes were hit by the floods ..
As blog dedicated to the gardens of Venice, we have to mention them as well: They too were damaged badly, and for them, it will take so much longer to recover.
It wasn't just the salt water rising above the ground, as it always does during acqua. This time, the gardens also suffered from the heavy storms bringing on the severe flooding, with waves that destroyed everything in their way, not just window panes.
Just like it is with the buildings, we need to wait for the gardens to dry up. Cleans them with water as much as possible, three or four times at least. It may well take until April-May next year to determine which plants have survived and which not.
So far, the gardens and their plants seem surprisingly resilient, like this oleander on Campo della Bragora. If you walk past it on a sunny morning in June, it smells like a mixture of lemon balm and heavy vanilla. Now, it "just" looks lush emerald green against the weak sunlight of December.
Nearby is a silk tree (mimosa albizia), it is one of those cases which we cannot yet make out if it has survived. Plants in Venice over centuries have become accustomed to the halophile environment of the Lagoon, and those in the city are no exception. They are hardy and have seen many bouts of acqua alta, so there's hope.
