Traveling and exploring cities around the world doesn’t just mean discovering monuments, churches, museums, and palaces. The discovery of customs, traditions, and the history of a people inevitably also passes through small and large places where the culture of a people or a city emerges powerfully and vigorously, and where one can breathe peace and tranquility.
Exploring new or old books, closing your eyes and smelling the scent of the pages that hold thoughts and stories is always a great way to bring home a special memory of that journey. If you are visiting Venice, one of these places, where you can immerse yourself for a few hours, away from the chaos of the main attractions scattered throughout the historic lagoon city, is undoubtedly the Acqua Alta Bookshop, according to many visitors and experts, the most beautiful bookstore in the world.
Origins and Charm: The Story Behind the Acqua Alta Bookshop
The Acqua Alta Bookshop is located in a small alley not far from Piazza San Marco and the historic center. It was founded in 2004 by Luigi Frizzo, originally from Vicenza but a Venetian by adoption, who, thanks to his adventurous spirit, decided to tell the story of Venice in a unique and original way, bringing his own microcosm and his way of seeing the world and reading to this bookstore.
But what is the peculiarity of this magical place? The bookstore, brimming with volumes, is characterized by unique furnishings; moreover, being in the heart of the lagoon city, it is a place that sometimes, during the high tide days in Venice, tends to fill up with water on the floor. To safeguard the many books present, the owner has not placed the volumes on shelves, but inside canoes, gondolas, and boats, which are also populated by cats that move undisturbed in the bookstore, which has become their home.
The books are categorized by topic, and ample space is given to the history of the city, its great artistic, literary, and musical tradition. Technology is “banned” from this shop: here, everything is remembered and cataloged “by heart” by the irreplaceable Luigi, who knows the over 100 thousand volumes present in the store: to find a book, you just need to ask, and he will know where to find it!
Special Features: Exploring the Quirks and Treasures Within
An intricate labyrinth of books that recalls the network of small and large streets that make up Venice.
Visiting the bookstore is a unique experience in which the visitor, in addition to taking home a book as a souvenir of Venice, will be captivated by the stories and curiosities narrated by Luigi Frizzo.
An authentic attraction inside this incredible shop is the staircase made of books, an absolutely unique “green” contraption, made up of damaged books that would have been destined for the shredder; it also allows visitors to enjoy the view of the canals and streets of the city. The emergency exit is also unique because it directly faces the water and allows you to see the spectacle of the tide “up close” and from a privileged position.
But what types of books are found inside the Acqua Alta Bookshop? There are truly countless titles available. There are used and even ancient volumes, as well as new and more mainstream books. Whether you leave with a book under your arm or not, in any case, the important thing is to have experienced an incredible experience in a place as bizarre as it is extraordinary, where time seems to stand still.
Conclusions
Moreover, the Acqua Alta Bookshop has been awarded a title: the BBC has elected this place as one of the 10 most beautiful bookstores in the world.
If you are staying in the city of the Serenissima, a stop at this bookstore that so viscerally tells and describes the lagoon city is undoubtedly a must.
