A photographer has captured the Italian city of Venice during its worst flooding for over 50 years. The images show streets, churches, and homes awash with feet of water, in floods so bad the government declared a state of emergency.
Natalia Elena Massi is now sharing the images she shot back in November, when the incident occurred. Based around 60 miles away in Brescia, she traveled to Venice during the peak of the floods, as many tourists were rearranging their travel plans. A frequent visitor to Venice, Massi tells Bored Panda she decided to travel there during the floods regardless, “with the hope of finding it beautiful anyway.”
She traveled there not really knowing what to expect. Massi says the lighting was a constant battle, as it kept changing, with some of the alleyways quite dark and of course, treacherous to travel through. At its worst, the water in some areas was reportedly 6 feet and 2 inches in height. The record was only 2 inches higher, back in 1966. The water was often “well about [her] knees.” She said:
The atmosphere was surreal. Even in tragedy, I found Venice more beautiful than ever. The water that threatened it made it even more fascinating.
See more of Massi’s work at her website, Facebook, and Instagram pages.
All images Natalia Elena Massi, and used with permission.
With those pictures, the macabre has become beautiful. Thanks for sharing. On my new website I have a list of what I as a photographer will do or have done to get greener foot steps: https://sites.google.com/dismason.org/carlirjala/blog-library/responsibl...
Beautiful shots. You know what also makes it more beautiful? The lack of gawking tourists! I'm half joking, half serious; over-tourism is definitely a thing nowadays.