Why aren’t homes in Venice made unlivable by mold and mildew? With all that water constantly bathing the place, how do they keep it at bay?
They just cope like any other seaside town. I grew up in beach cities and more than one friend was forced to move inland because someone in the family had a severe reaction to mold. Of course, when I was kid, all those beach homes had shag carpeting like the rest of the country. Now, most have sensible tile flooring.
Many of the houses in Venice no longer use the first floor due to the frequent floods.
I would imagine they have super dehumidifiers.
Surely mold abatement is high on their lists of monthly housekeeping chores.
While I agree, it’s the only town I know of where the water actually touches the buildings 24/7/365. (Maybe part of Amsterdam as well?) Being across the strand and being in constant contact are very different things. And there is no protective layer of salt like there is in a beach house. It’s a whole 'nother level of challenge. And then the age of the buildings makes HVAC difficult as well I;d imagine. . .
To avoid misunderstandings, since this thread will probably attract a number of non-Americans: Italy uses the European floor count, where the floor that’s level with the street (called “first floor” in America) is the “ground floor”(piano terra in Italian). Above that sits the “first floor”, which Americans call the “second floor”.
So do structures that people live in all over the world, not to mention people who live on boats as I have and many of my friends did as a child. Such proximity to the water does not make them “unlivable”.
[Moderating]
Let’s please save the guesses and speculation for after informed answers start coming in.
I don’t have all the answers, but I did just return from Venice. Most of the buildings are stone. There’s not a lot of drywall, or other things that mold likes. So, when the water recedes, I suspect the stone dries quickly. I assume the OP is referring to Acqua alta (high water) periods, and not the fact that the whole city is built on the water.
Exactly right, hotel amenities often include dehumidifiers and housekeeping directives to keep ahead of it.
According to wiki, Reddit, fb and quora.
It’s really a combination of construction methods and materials. Relatively speaking, the materials don’t retain much moisture, and the buildings aren’t very tightly-constructed – ie, they are constructed using porous materials and are relatively very leaky compared to modern Western housing standards. This allows the buildings to breathe well, and – in conjunction with materials that don’t retain much moisture – allows things to dry out.
Clearly, the environmental context affects and involves factors that support water absorption: first, the material properties (porosity, permeability, mineral composition, sorptivity, etc.), wall thickness, evaporation potential at the materials’ interface, and physic-chemical reactions that regulate liquid movement in the pores of the wall; then, the boundary characteristics that influence the moisture content are the exposure and positioning, proximity to other buildings, climate conditions, salt accumulation, freeze–thaw cycle, ventilation, intended use of the building, crowding level, etc.
From what I recall of Venice from my visits: There are a number of much older buildings - a few “palaces” along the Grand Canal come to mind - the typical ground floor is a single step above the water (hence the signs complaining about speedboats earoding the foundations). Obviously any significant water level change would flood that floor, and it is not used. Floating by, it seems they give off “abandoned cellar” vibes with a grate or door from the canal to the rooms. Move a bit further “inland” and the houses are well above possible water levels. I have pictures of San Marco Square where the water levels in Spetmber meant people walked on boards held about a foot or two above the pavement by metal frames, so high water a foot deep. The trinket shops in the square and assorted restaurants obviously have to deal with up to a foot of water, don’t keep things close to the floor in certain seasons. (San Marco Basilica itself, thanks to ground subsidence, has a floor that has serious unevenness).
But as mentioned, the typical humidity is no different than any seaside town. The older buildings’ higher floors have wood floors and beams that date back centuries (like the hotel we stayed in) with no indication of any problems with deterioration. Much of the wall structures are stone or brick. The biggest problem is uneven foundation sinking, so some buildings have long metal rods from one side to the other, with plates bolted to the outside, to reduce the change the walls fall down.
Thank you! I suppose my basic false assumption was that the proximity of the water would equate to a constant state of high humidity.
I should also point out that, from my reading, aqua alta is due to heavy groundwater use especially in nearby industrial Mestre on the mainland. Heavy draw from aquifers causes ground subsidence in a lot of locations, it just has this critical issue in Venice. (And the government has mandated a stop to this water use) So as far as I can read, high tides in fall and spring have only caused a regular problem in the last century or so.
I’d say “due to” isn’t accurate. “Exacerbated by” would be more accurate. And that’s in conjunction with sea level rise as another big contributing factor. But there are other compounding factors beyond those two.
I have fairly recently visited Venice and the mold there isn’t as bad as one might expect. They employ a lot of cross-ventilation. Because the air off the lagoon is naturally humid, keeping windows open doesn’t always solve the dampness. So, locals rely heavily on cross-ventilation and modern air conditioning units that have dehumidification modes.
They also rely on routine upkeep that involves treating affected brickwork and tiles with biocidal washes, bleach, and specialized anti-mold paints.
I’ll note, however, mold is not the big scary thing the media portrays it to be. It’s mostly people that are at rick that are affected.