Among the features you will notice in Venice, are the mooring posts and the navigation posts.
They are besieged by the tides, and by barnacles
Exposure to atmospheric air leads to rotting.
A whole trade has developed around the replacement of the rotten poles.
Now, technology rears its head. Plastic posts have been developed, which look ALMOST like the real thing. They won’t rot like the wooden ones. But, what will happen to all those currently employed in this trade, once the plastic posts are used exclusively?
Next time you’re in Venice, keep your eyes open and see how many of the plastic posts you spot.
Plastic progress?
Hello World 
And, then there are those millions of tree trunks that are sitting in the lagoon beneath the very calle we walk on each day!
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I always wondered about that. So if it is permanently submerged, no rot. There isn’t any other “magic”, just stay permanently submerged. Nifty!
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Very interesting and informative! I had no idea, but of course it makes sense. Wood and the sea. Without copper paint the wood is bound to rot. Imagine what some of the houses must be like inside with so much year-round moisture. Even if they’re stone, they must have a lot of mildew. Is that the case? (I’ve never been to Venice.)
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Hello, Anneli
Surprisingly, if the wood could stay submerged, it wouldn’t rot!
The houses I’ve been in suffer from the damp in various ways, for example patches of plaster fall off the walls, and they can also smell damp. Maintenance must be a big headache.
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Yesterday as we were walking around, I found myself “knocking” on those mooring posts which were suspect!
After some inquiring looks from Lee, I had to explain what I was doing.
No new graffiti yet but I’m looking!
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Good on ya! Show those boys a thing or two! Things must be hotting up, with Il Papa’s visit so near.
I hope that clock slows down for you. 🙂
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Je serai à Venise cet après-midi…Buona giornata !
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Have a lovely time, Maite. Maybe next time, we’ll get to meet.
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They can carve it and they can paint it but it’s still plastic and does not look or feel like wood upon inspection.
Amazing how much “progress” tends to put people out of work.
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Amen to that, Michelle.
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Excellent exposition! Thank you!
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You’re welcome! How was that vodka/tomato pasta sauce? 🙂
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