What is Venice?

Venice is a city built entirely on water, like a giant floating puzzle made of stone and wood. Imagine your bedroom if the floor was replaced by a deep blue pool, and the walls were made of wet bricks. That is Venice. It sits on a group of small islands in a lagoon, which is a shallow sea area separated from the open ocean by sandbars or reefs. The people who live there did not use trucks to move heavy items. Instead, they used boats for everything, from going to school to taking out the trash.

The city rests on millions of wooden stakes driven deep into the mud. Think of how a tent stays up with stakes in the ground, but much, much deeper. These wood pieces act like strong legs holding up the heavy buildings. Over many hundreds of years, saltwater slowly eats away at the wood, so the city sinks a little bit each year.

In Venice, streets are called canals. You do not walk on roads; you glide on water. The most famous boat is the gondola, a long, black rowboat that moves silently through narrow channels. It is like a tiny ship made for tight spaces. When the tide rises too high, the low-lying squares get covered in water. Locals call this acqua alta, or "high water." It feels like taking a bath in the middle of the city.