Liberia Acqua Alta

Founded: 2002

Owner: Luigi Frizzo

Libreria Acqua Alta has been often referred to as “The World’s Most Beautiful Bookstore.” It lives in the heart of Venice, Italy near Campo Santa Maria Formosa. Its location on the water is unmatched by the variety of shops near by. When you enter the space of the bookstore, you descend into a converted hollow of a canal and feel as if the water could come pouring over at any moment (and it does sometimes, hence the books are in boats). And this is a part of the store’s distinct Venetian charm and character- the boats and gondolas scattered around the space are stacked with thousands of books just above the water line.

This post is a little different, split into two stories: my own and the owner of Liberia Acqua Alta, Luigi Frizzo’s.

MY STORY:

In February of last year, I decided to visit a friend in Milan for spring break. It was early in the year and I happened to leave my little home in Dublin just in time for one of the harshest winter storms spreading throughout Europe. They actually labeled it “Storm Emma” and Dublin had received three inches of snow the day that I left. My friend Mitchell still had class, so I bought a train ticket to Venice for the day. In the serendipitous way things can happen when you are traveling alone, I found out that my friend Steven Liu from back home happened to be in Venice at the very same time. We planned to meet up in the late afternoon. Truthfully, I was lucky that my train left at all due to the many delays from weather conditions. It snowed the entire ride and I arrived to a white city, all the fresh layers of snow lining the buildings and boats along the canal. It was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen (and apparently a rare sight as well.)

Steven and I started our journey with a bowl of warm pasta at a local shop and then wandered throughout the snowy and abandoned streets of Venice in our coats and scarves. I had heard of, and had actually written down, Libreria Acqua Alta a few years before on a travel bucket list, but I had forgotten about it in the midst of the chaos of my trip. It so happened that as we were wandering, we fell upon this bookstore and I knew immediately it was the one I had written down so many years back.

I felt an immediate connection to the store, one that I believe is transferred to anyone who passes through. I chose a book that was a history of major literary characters from Donne to Marlowe to Shakespeare who kept me company on the cold train ride back. It truly is a beautiful space and has inspired me to continuously seek out more bookstores like it.

FRIZZO’S STORY

The art piece that is this bookstore is the work of owner and founder, Luigi Frizzo.

Luigi was kind enough to answer my questions when I contacted him about the blog and told him about my visit last year. I believe Luigi’s story is best told by Luigi himself, so here is the story of Acqua Alta in his words:

“I traveled a lot when I was younger, so I did a lot of different jobs before discovering my deep passion for books. At the time, I was still living in Aosta, a small city in the north-western part of Italy. I worked there for seven years, before moving to Venice and start to manage my first own bookshop.

I started with Acqua Alta in 2002. I was already managing another bookshop but I was looking for a bigger place which could let me put different elements reflecting Venice in; this particular place is perfect to mix books with that typical venetian atmosphere, where paper fits with water in an unique way and time seems to stop, allowing the costumers to rediscover the pleasure of reading.

Running a place like this isn’t that easy, especially during this era, where everything’s changing so fast. I feel lucky, because in spite of all, I can still see a deep interest for books in people, who join that happiness of finding a specific book in between the others. Books contain a whole world in themselves and I’m always happy to see our customers exploring that world with passion.”

This Venetian paradise, filled with boats and books and white-washed brick walls from the many seasons it has endured, is a must-see on your travel itinerary. The character is enduring, the passion and love is present. More than anything it evokes the passion for words and literature that Luigi speaks of and the many minds that hover above waters.

 

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