“Love and do what you want” – Sant’Agostino
Synthetic and powerful, this is the quote that often Luigi Frizzo repeats, the Venetian founder of the “Acqua Alta” bookshop (library of hight water) in Venice.
“Love and do what you want” that’s exactly what the father of the bookstore has done, with love and dedication since 2004, when he founded his third bookstore. He certainly did not imagine it would become one of the ten most beautiful bookstores in the world, as the BBC also claims.
A bookshop, a Venice that you will hardly forget.
If you are planning to visit Venice and if you love books, before leaving make sure you have left some space in your suitcase because here, from “Acqua Alta” among the volumes scattered in the gondolas, boats, canoes and ancient bathtubs – you will find the book of your heart.
“Casa e bottega”(house and shop) for the owners of the bookshop
Entering this floating bookshop means immersing yourself in the fascinating history of Venice through famous book titles, starting with “Venezia è un pesce” and “Fondamenta degli incurabili” or Corto Maltese comic series “Favola di Venezia”.
Inside you will find all kinds of volumes, novels, comics, detective stories and guides –the majority of the books are used (only one fifth are new) and this gives the opportunity to buy books that are often unavailable because they are purchased by private individuals.
“Acqua Alta” it’s the right place to find that book you’ve been looking for a long time.
And if you really can’t find it, you can always ask the “five hosts” for a hand, the five beautiful cats – the mascots of the shop. All joking aside, the cats will certainly be delighted to receive your cuddles but for the book you can ask for help from the guys who work in the bookshop every day with passion and constancy.
It is not a bookshop like any other, no digital catalog, here the books are divided by subject, publisher or author. So rely on the good memory and experience of the guys who work there and you will find what you are looking for.
At once, the beautiful cats will wander around you or maybe they have already escaped home, upstairs, through their cat flap.
Stairs of books, tubs and gondolas that defy the weather
An evocative environment that smells of humid but at the same time of history and culture. A bookshop that smells of Venice.
No shelves, as mentioned here, books “float” inside bathtubs, gondolas and boats. The choice to furnish the bookcase in this style aims to save the books from bad weather when high water takes over in Venice. So what better way than to place them in an ancient 11-meter gondola?
The staircase of books was born with the creative (and brilliant) idea of giving life to the ancient encyclopedias now no longer used and destined for pulping but above all to allow customers to enjoy the wonderful view of the Venetian canals and the building in which Hugo Pratt set one of the stories of Corto Maltese “Favola di Venezia”. So don’t forget to go to the back of the bookcase and follow the ladder of books!
Even the emergency exit is an incredible glimpse: a window overlooking the canals with chairs and a sofa where you can watch the spectacle of the rising tide or simply greet the gondoliers that pass. This is undoubtedly a corner of absolute rarity where you can indulge in reading with relaxing background of the water course.
How to get to the library
“Acqua Alta” is located in one of the most beautiful districts of Venice, the Sestiere di Castello in Calle Lunga Santa Maria Formosa on the border with the Sestiere of San Marco and is open every day from 9.00 to 19.45.
It is easily accessible on foot from the main tourist attractions of Venice.
Click here to follow the library on Facebook.
The “Acqua Alta” bookshop is not just a tourist attraction
Our tips
Before entering this precious place, remember that even before being a place to photograph, it is a bookshop, a commercial activity, full of stories to tell that the owner is committed to carrying out with care and dedication. In particular, in difficult times like the one we are experiencing now due to the Covid -19 virus.
Over the years, the Venetians have unfortunately decided to leave the city, being extremely touristy and expensive. For this reason, the “Acqua Alta” bookshop (as well as Venice), needs to be treated with respect, safeguarding the great cultural and artistic heritage that this city gives us.
Venice needs the responsible contribution of all tourists. A human, sensitive, empathic contribution.
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