Libreria Acqua Alta in Venice

Off the beaten path in the quiet neighborhood of Venice is Libreria Acqua Alta, a bookstore that has resigned itself to constant flooding by keeping its books in bathtubs and boats. The first sight of the bookstore is far from curious, just a bookstore tucked away in an alley. But once I walked through the door, I can see stacks of books sitting on a gondola that runs the length of the store. The owner is accompanied by four house cats that sit peacefully near the counter.

Libreria Acqua Alta is composed of a number of over-stuffed rooms stacked wall-to-wall with books, magazines, maps and other ephemera. The books, mostly in Italian, are placed in basins, bathtubs and other waterproof containers. There’s a fire exit in the back which opens up to a waterway.