More than just sails and fabrics: in the heart of Venice, hemp was used to raise the columns of St. Mark's. A story of ingenuity, material, and craftsmanship that illustrates how natural fiber is intertwined with our history.
The two columns in St. Mark's Square—the one with St. Theodore and the one with the lion—were originally supposed to be three. The third was lost during the unloading. The other two, once unloaded, remained on the ground for over a century: no one could figure out how to lift them.
It was a craftsman from Bergamo, Nicolò Stratonio , who solved the problem. He was already known for his counterweight hoists—the same ones used to raise the bell tower of St. Mark's—and for the construction of the Ponte della Moneta, the ancestor of the Rialto Bridge.
Stratonius invented a simple and ingenious system, which he called "water on the ropes." He exploited the property of hemp ropes : when wet, they increase in diameter and shorten. He fixed the bases of the columns in a hole, ran the ropes along the surface, and anchored them to the ground at a distance. As he wetted them, the contraction of the hemp slowly pulled the columns upward, allowing him to insert shims and raise them completely vertical.
A feat of pure artisanal engineering, based on observation, materials, and a knowledge of natural materials. From that feat, the Serenissima Republic of Venice decided to reward Nicolò: it granted him the only license to play dice, which was banned throughout the city. From then on, he was known as Nicolò Barattiere —the man who ran the gambling house—and the family wore three dice on their coat of arms, symbolizing that invention that combined luck and ingenuity.
Today, that story remains a lesson. Hemp wasn't just a fiber, but a natural technology. Capable of lifting columns, moving sails, building bridges. And still today, of binding together the past and the future.
