Venice: Tourists wade in waist-high water

It may be known as the Floating City of love.

But romance was cast aside today as gondolas were swapped for wellington boots and swimwear.

High tides and heavy rain flooded Venice's dry streets, leaving tourist hotspots virtually deserted.

Tourists chose to wade through the waters in boots, with one group donning swimwear to sit at a table in the iconic submerged St Mark's Square.