( CNN ) -- Venice has suffered its worst flooding in 22 years , leaving some parts of the historic Italian city neck-deep in water , reports said Monday . A woman wades through high waters in Venice 's Piazza San Marco . Water burst the banks of the coastal city 's famed canals , leaving the landmark Piazza San Marco -- St Mark 's Square -- under almost a meter of water at one point , news agency ANSA reported . Strong winds pushed waters to a high of 1.56 meters ( 5 feet 2 inches ) at 10:45 a.m. local time , prompting the city government to issue warnings to the public , the agency said . The flood level began to drop soon afterwards , prompted by a change in the direction of the wind . Previous highs include 1.58 meters in 1986 and 1.66 meters in 1979 , the news agency said . Watch more about the flooding » . Photographs showed people wading through inundated piazzas and waves lapping over waterside cafe tables . Venice , built around a network of canals and small islands , has for years been trying to tackle the problem of floods that have regularly blighted the city . In 2007 , the United Nations cultural organization UNESCO warned Venice -- a designated World Heritage Site -- is under threat from rising sea levels caused by climate change . See pictures of Venetians wading through flood waters . » . It said that unless the problem is tackled , Venice could be flooded daily and water levels would permanently rise by 54 centimeters in the city by the year 2100 .
St Mark 's reportedly suffering one of its worst floods in daily . Landmark Piazza San Marco under 5 feet 2 inches of water at one point . UNESCO has warned Venice at risk of high waters caused by climate change .