In a strange turn of events - the city of Venice normally has major problems with flooding. It is built on marshes and is gradually sinking into the Adriatic Sea. To exacerbate this, winter storms usually cause flooding (Acqua Alta) as the prevailing winds drive the waters of the Mediterranean to the East causing sea levels to rise.
This winter, due to an unusual combination of planetary alignment and dry weather is causing markedly low water levels. CNN/Reuters has the story
bq. Gondolas stuck as Venice waters recede
Gondolas are running aground and hotel docks hang in midair as Italy's lagoon city Venice, more commonly awash at high tide, dries out because of good weather and an unusual combination of planetary influences.
bq. Only the Grand Canal, Venice's biggest and most famous waterway, can still take water traffic, and the falling canal levels have given rise to terms such as "ghost town" and "desert" in local papers.
bq. "The phenomenon is due to low pressure, that is, the good weather that coincides with the syzygy, the alignment of the moon, earth and sun," said Venice's tides office.
bq. The new moon this week has helped push water levels to their lowest point in more than a decade, nearly 2.5 feet (80 cm) below sea level, it said. The lowest fall on record was 4.1 feet (1.21 meters) below sea level in 1934.
bq. The city assured tourists that water levels would soon start rising again, restoring the romantic look they expect.
