A description is given of the foundation of piling. The wood used for the piling was mainly oak which came originally from nearby groves on the Lido and the mainland, but later builders preferred wood from Istria and Dalmatia. Under the oldest buildings (e.g. Basilica and the campanile) the pilings are generally short and widely spaced. Under more recent buildings (e.g. Salute) the piles are considerably longer and very tightly packed. Basilica Salute rests on 1,106,657 and Ponte Rialto on 12,000 oak, alder, pine and larch piles. When the campanile in Piazza San Marco collapsed in 1902, the ancient pilings, underpinning the 98,5 m high belfry were found to be in excellent condition, after 1000 years in the ground. The exposed piles eroded by waviness due to the marine traffic can be in a very poor condition.
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