2Libreria Acqua Alta
5 savesWishlisted by Pauline Rana
Books at Libreria Acqua Alta are kept safe from Venice floods with bookshelves in the form of a bathtub and an actual gondola.
Castello, Calle Longa Santa Maria Formosa 5176/B, Venice, Italy
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If you were to search for this unique bookshop while strolling the street of Italy, you were probably expecting to find its entrance by the canal via gondola ride. You'd seen the photos of it's open doors that led to the waters. Unfortunately, the spot that made this bookstore so famous isn't an entrance. It's actually their fire exit-- a tongue in cheek, wink- wink joke (I assume). You'd probably almost miss the entrance door by the amount of knick- knacks sold at its storefront, practically crowding their walkway. A handmade sign would say "The most beautiful bookshop in the world" in front of the stacks and racks of post cards, magazines, calendars and pins. You'd think you were about to step into a rackety souvenir shop or a crowded antique store. The inside is just as crammed and stuffed, this time, it's mostly books, stacks on stacks of them, haphazardly arranged in every nook and cranny. Adding to what makes it unique is the gondola in the middle of the sea of books carrying more (guess what?) books. You'd also spot some bath tubs serving the same purpose. Scattered around are beaded chandeliers, Venetian mannequins, and oars. It's so eccentric and curious, but also cozy. Most of their books are new, ranging from best sellers, comic books, cook books, Venice travelogues and more. They also come in different languages. Aside from the odd fire exit that leads to the canals that Instagrammers favor, the shop also has a courtyard where a flight of stairs made out of old encyclopedia's let you take a peak to a different canal.
Come hell or high water, Libreria Acqua Alta offers refuge to bibliophiles. In a waterlogged city plagued by floods, the bookshop keeps pages dry by gondola, a wooden ship, and a ceramic bathtub. All these are stacked with precious cargo: hundreds of books. Everything is arranged almost haphazardly—like the tide has swept in new books, old tomes, and rare volumes all at the same time. Piles of encyclopedias form a staircase leading outdoors, while random knick-knacks collected by owner, Mr. Luigi Frizzo, are strewn about. The chaos is all part of Libreria Acqua Alta’s charm. Peruse their overwhelming collection and pluck from precarious piles and from under sleeping cats. Your next treasured read is just waiting to be uncovered.
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