St Mark`s closed as Venice faces more floods
(Artdaily.org)

Another exceptional high tide swamped flood-hit Venice on Friday, prompting the mayor to order St Mark`s square closed after Italy declared a state of emergency for the UNESCO city. Luigi Brugnaro ordered the iconic square closed as the latest sea surge of around 1.6 metres (over five feet) struck and strong storms and winds battered the region -- lower than Tuesday`s peak but still dangerous. `I`m forced to close the square to avoid health risks for citizens... a disaster,` Brugnaro said. Churches, shops and homes in the city of canals have been inundated by unusually intense `acqua alta`, or high water, which on Tuesday hit their highest level in half a century. `We`ve destroyed Venice, we`re talking about one billion (euros) in damage and that`s just from the other day, not today,` Brugnaro said, as far-right leader Matteo Salvini joined the list of politicians to