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Did you know Venice was built on a lagoon—right on top of thousands of oak and fir logs? This unique engineering method has kept the city standing for centuries!

Since 421 AD, the city of Venice has stood on a foundation of millions of wooden tree trunks driven deep into the clay bed of its lagoon. Rather than using steel or concrete, the city was built primarily on alder wood, with some oak piles for extra support.

Over time, these wooden pillars, submerged in saltwater, have petrified, hardening to a stone-like consistency. This ancient engineering marvel has supported Venice for 1,500 years.

St. Mark’s Campanile alone rests on 100,000 wooden piles.

The grand Basilica della Salute required over one million tree trunks.

The piles, spaced just half a meter apart, extend three meters into the seabed.