The vertical wooden posts you see stick out of the water are called ‘paline’. These are spread across the lagoon and here on the Grand Canal they are used to mark the shoal point, in order to avoid boats getting stuck in the mud. Alternatively, they are used as mooring stations for boats of all kinds. There are also striped coloured ‘paline’, which used to belong to noble Venetian households who would have them painted with their family colours. The wood used is one of the most durable in the world, however, the constant waves and tide movement inevitably have an effect. You can see some are consumed up to half their size and covered in algae and mussels, perhaps reminding you of derelict contours in a pirate movie. Not altogether unsuitable given the rather pirate-like nature of Venetians in the middle-ages. Famously, in the 4th crusade of 1204, Venice looted from Byzantium much of what is now admired in St. Mark’s Basilica, such as the Madonna Nicopeia and the Bronze Horses looking onto the Piazza, as well as many unique pieces decorating the city’s palaces you see today. Of course, Venetians never thought of themselves as pirates, rather as merchants, although often the line can be quite blurred.
