Briccola Wood

The average lifespan of a Briccole in the Venetian lagoon ranges from 10 to 20 years. They are eroded by the movement of the tides and therefore require periodic replacements. The uniqueness of the Briccole is amplified by the intervention of marine teredinids, mollusks that artistically engrave the wood, creating perfectly round holes and forming captivating designs and silhouettes.

Unique and suggestive woods. The beauty of imperfection. The third life of wood.

Protagonists of the Venice lagoon, the Briccole, oak poles immersed in the sea, are used as a reference for boats and to signal the tides. The lower part of these poles appears embellished by the industriousness of the marine teredini, molluscs that leave the sign of their passage by sculpting the wood with perfect round holes and creating suggestive designs and shapes. After 10 years, during which these poles are corroded by water, their replacement is necessary: this is the beginning of their third life.

Extraction of the Briccole posts sees the use of special machinery to secure them and pull them out of the sea bottom. It is a delicate process that requires grate attention in order to extract the complete post. Each post has a medium height of approximately 10 meters, of which one third submerged in the sand, one third in the water and the rest emerging from the sea surface.

At first the wood is stocked outside, where it is in contact with air and atmospheric agents, and then it undergoes several of controlles drying processes, necessary due to the long stay in water.

The posts and theplanks are individually treated through an artisan processing, which ensures that the grooves carved by the shipworms are carefully cleaned, in order to preserve the natural imperfections on the surface. Technology and our carpenters’ craftsmanship are able to transform the raw posts, marked by the weather and worn out during time, into unique and inimitable products.

Briccola wood is treated with natural wax of vegetable origin in order to obtain a neutral effect thus ensuring a correct protection of the surface.

Embraced by the aquatic element and molded by sea salt, exposed to atmospheric agents and shaped by mollusks, the oak of these Briccole evolves into wood of inestimable value, rich in history and intrinsic peculiarities. Riva 1920 has chosen to dedicate a "third life" to this material, introducing a range of sustainable Briccole furnishings, reminding us that wood is a precious but finite resource. Nature remains the true muse, capable of generating unparalleled charm and emotion.