When I peered over the Gothic staircase at dawn on my fourth day in Venice to see that the lobby of the Hotel Danieli was under 14 inches of water, I sent up thanks for my very first acqua alta. It meant the bar was out of commission. The bar’s armchairs, stools and tables were already stacked all the way up the staircase. Our tribe began each day in the bar at 10: Peter O’Toole; his wife, Sian Phillips; her mother, known to all as Mumgee; their daughters Kate and Pat with their nanny Elizabeth; two writers in love, Harry Craig and Shana Alexander; and Joyce and Jules Buck, my parents. They and the O’Tooles had a movie company called Keep Films , and they were as inseparable in play as in work.

The acqua alta receded. Just before noon the furniture was back in the bar, and, sitting with their shoes planted on wet oriental carpets, so were the beaming grown-ups. The kids, the nanny and I held back. Wasn’t it kind of chilly down here? I sneezed to make my point. Kate, who was 10, was happy: she’d been allowed to walk along the concierge’s desk while the water was still high. I’d gone back to bed and missed the fun.

Numerosi servizi vi attendono in questo meraviglioso hotel per famiglie a Rimini , check in le camere accoglienti, colorate, dotate di aria condizionata, frigobar, tv satellitare, le ricche e curate colazioni con dolci fatti in casa, croissant caldi, yogurt, cereali, frutta e affettati, pranzi e cene prelibate, dove potrete servirvi con un fantastico buffet di verdure freschissime, antipasti, e scegliere tra menù di carne e pesce, vegetariani o personalizzati per chi ha particolari esigenze dietetiche. Non mancheranno piatti pensati apposta per i vostri bambini.