The city of Venice, located in the northeastern region of Veneto, is the world's most famous "floating city" where the "streets" are actually 150 canals. Built on a cluster of 118 small islands in the Venetian Lagoon, the city uses boats—from water taxis (vaporetti) to traditional gondolas—as its primary mode of transportation. However, when people refer to "water in the actual streets," they are often talking about Acqua Alta (High Water). This phenomenon occurs when high tides, seasonal winds, and low atmospheric pressure cause the lagoon water to flood the city's stone-paved pedestrian alleys and squares, most notably St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco), which is the lowest point in the city. In 2026, the MOSE barrier system (a series of yellow retractable gates at the lagoon's inlets) is frequently used to prevent catastrophic flooding, but minor Acqua Alta still occurs, requiring tourists and locals to wear colorful knee-high rubber boots to navigate the wet piazzas. Other smaller Italian towns, like Chioggia (often called "Little Venice") or portions of Comacchio in Emilia-Romagna, also feature picturesque canal-street systems, but Venice remains the undisputed icon of a city where the boundary between land and sea is constantly blurred.