Page 34 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Venice & The Veneto

32  INTRODUCING VENICE AND THE VENE T O

Gondolas and Gondoliers

Gondoliers are part of the symbolism and mythology of
Venice. Local legend has it that they are born with webbed
feet to help them walk on water. Their intimate knowledge
of the city’s waterways is passed down from father to son
(this is still very much a male preserve). The gondola, with
its slim hull and flat underside, is perfectly adapted to
negotiating narrow, shallow canals. Once essential for
the transport of goods from the markets to the palazzi,
gondolas today are largely pleasure craft and a trip on one
is an essential part of the Venetian experience (see p283). Squero di San Trovaso (see p133)
It gives an entirely different perspective on the city, is the oldest of Venice’s three
gliding past grand palatial homes, using a form of surviving squeri (boatyards).
transport that dates back over 1,000 years. Here, new wood is seasoned,
while skilled craftsmen build
new gondolas and repair some
of the 400 craft in use.

Traditional dress for
a gondolier is a The gondolier, unusually for an oarsman,
beribboned straw stands upright and pushes on the oar to
hat, striped vest and row the boat in the direction he is facing.
black trousers.
Passengers sit on upholstered
cushions and low stools.

The rowlock (forcola) can
hold the oar in eight
different positions for
steering the craft. The oar has a
ribbed blade.
The asymmetrical shape Continuing a Tradition
of the gondola counteracts Gondolas are hand-crafted from nine
the force of the oar. Without
the leftward curve to the woods – beech, cherry, elm, fir, larch,
prow, 24 cm (9.5 inches) lime, mahogany, oak and walnut –
wider on the left than the using techniques established in the
right, the boat would go 1880s. A new gondola takes three
round in circles. months to build and costs £10,000.
Gondola Decoration
Black pitch, or tar, was originally used to
make gondolas watertight. In time this
sombre colour gave way to bright paintwork
and rich carpets, but such displays of wealth
were banned in 1562. Today all except
ceremonial gondolas are black, ornamented
only with their ferro, and a golden hippo­
campus (seahorse) on either side. For special
occasions such as weddings, the felze (the
traditional black canopy) and garlands of
flowers appear, while funeral craft, now
seldom seen, have gilded angels. Ceremonial gondolas

032-033_EW_Venice.indd 32 8/18/17 11:04 AM