Venice, Built on Tree Trunks in a Lagoon

Romantic Venice was a city built on a lagoon. It was first a refuge for Romans to flee from barbarian invaders such as the Huns and Germanic tribes in Northern Italy during the decline of the Roman Empire which fell in 476 A.D.

The early Venetian settlers made homes from reed, wood, and clay on the marshy islands of the Venetian Lagoon, on patches of dry land. Because their first church, San Giacomo di Rialto, was consecrated on March 25, 421 A.D., the traditional date of Venice’s founding was 421 A.D. Its first Dodge (leader) was elected in 697 A.D.

To build more and heavier structures, millions of tree trunks from ancient forests, alder wood, oak, and larch, were driven into the soft lagoon mud. These trunks were petrified when exposed to salty, oxygen-free water, and formed a base of stony pillars. On top, horizontal planks and Istrian stone were laid to make it even stronger.

It is alleged that 100k alder tree trunks support the San Marco’s Campanile or Bell Tower. It collapsed in July 1902 due to structural failure after 1,000 years of existence and was rebuilt and rededicated in 1912.

There are sixty-two easily accessible islands by boat, water taxi, and water bus but, depending on who you ask, there are more than 120 islands, some of which cannot be easily accessed or not at all. One is an actual cemetery, and another is a place where the black plague victims were housed.