Exceptional low tide leaves Venice's canals almost empty

Exceptionally low tides in Venice left the city's famous canals almost dry on Saturday. Boats and traditional gondolas, which are used for transportation inside the city, could be seen almost beached in the canals as water levels reached a peak of -52cm. Last November, flood-tides in Venice hit their highest level in more than 50 years, inundating parts of the lagoon city under almost two metres of water and raising fears of irreparable damage to historic treasures including Saint Mark's Basilica.

Venice, built on a collection of small islands within a saltwater lagoon off the northeastern coast of Italy, has always lived with tides that usually create variations of around 50 cm in sea levels but which can sometimes be more extreme.