Visitors to Venice are always delighted to see an original 11m Gondola, kayaks, old bathtubs and wooden barrels used to display old and new books in the Acqua Alta bookstore. Half of the customers here are foreigners.
Bookstore owner Luigi Frizzo opened “Acqua Alta” a decade ago. During Venice’s regular floods, Frizzo had to move books from floors, bathtubs, and boats to higher shelves to ensure the store remained open for business as usual. Acqua Alta was recently listed as one of the 10 most beautiful bookstores in the world by the BBC. The store is located in Venice’s Calle Longa Santa Maria Formosa and is open from 9am to 8pm daily.
Mr. Luigi Frizzo said:“I have a very special collection of international books on Venice as well as some rare volumes of the Corto Maltese comic series. In addition, the shop has a wide range of books on art, business, gondola building for tourist services and classics.”
Almost all the books in Acqua Alta are Venetian-themed. However, there are also books on the esotericism of Rudolf Steiner. Alongside the rare books on display are books that cost as little as 1 euro.
According to Mr. Frizzo, the bookstore was originally a warehouse and it took him a long time to repair and decorate it to get the look it has today.
Mr. Luigi Frizzo said:“I initially bought wooden boats, including a two-seater boat from the Querini Rowing Club that was abandoned. In addition to the wooden boats, the bathtub was also useful to keep the books safe from the rising water of the tide.”
To enrich his store, Mr. Frizzo also acquired private book collections. There, customers can find rare and rarely published books, even books dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries.
Every time the high tide siren sounds in Venice, the books are moved to higher shelves. However, in 2008-2009, the water rose above the walls of the gondolas, canoes, and wooden crates, so he had to throw away many books, including an old encyclopedia that was badly damaged. He is now trying to restore those precious books.
