The Acqua Alta bookshop, considered by many as the most beautiful bookstore in the world, is slowly returning to normality, five weeks after it was devastated by floods caused by Venice’s highest tide in more than half a century.

The owners have credited its return to the overwhelming generosity of volunteers and donors who rushed to help Libreria Acqua Alta in the dark days after the floods.
The legendary bookshop, whose name means “high water”, is celebrated for protecting its books by storing them in baths, floating tubs and a gondola.

However, even this was not enough to save its precious collection of books from the devastation caused by Venice’s highest tide since records began in 1923.
It took three boats to remove the books destroyed in the floods which also caused damage to the shop’s furnishings and bookcases. News of the flooded bookstore spread fast, even making international headlines.

The bookstore also launched its own unique appeal for help, asking people to donate used books instead of cash, a method they believed was both ethical and easier for donors. Opened in 2004, the bookshop is located near Piazza S. Marco and Ponte di Rialto, in Calle Lunga S. Maria Formosa.