{"id":1065,"date":"2023-02-08T06:27:08","date_gmt":"2023-02-08T06:27:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev1.kindlebit.com\/Development\/Venice\/?p=1065"},"modified":"2023-02-08T06:27:08","modified_gmt":"2023-02-08T06:27:08","slug":"the-gondolas-of-venice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev1.kindlebit.com\/Development\/Venice\/the-gondolas-of-venice\/","title":{"rendered":"The Gondolas of Venice"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Gondolas of Venice<\/strong><\/p>\n

The gondola is a symbol of Venice, recognisable the world over.\u00a0 In fact, nowhere else in the world, will you find a boat quite like it.\u00a0 Although today a gondola ride is a popular tourist attraction, gondolas have glided through the canals of Venice for over five hundred years<\/strong>. How did this curiously shaped black boat come to be and get its distinctive look and why is a gondola ride so expensive?<\/p>\n

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Marriage of the Sea Ceremony<\/em> by Canaletto<\/p>\n

History of the Venetian Gondola<\/strong><\/p>\n

The precise origins of the Venetian Gondola are lost to history.\u00a0 What is certain is that by the 11th<\/sup> century the canals of Venice teemed with many types of handmade boats from utilitarian rafts carrying goods, to the Doge\u2019s own ostentatious gilded barge.<\/p>\n

By the 1500s, much like a modern-day taxi system, some 10,000 gondolas transported dignitaries, merchants and goods<\/strong> through the city’s canals. Gondolas were leased to boatman called Gondoliers who made the rounds of the city’s landing docks.\u00a0 Passengers paid a fare to be carried from one side of the Grand Canal to the other, as well as to other points around the city.\u00a0 The gondoliers soon developed a bad reputation, from extorting passengers to occasional acts of violence.\u00a0 Perhaps this is why Venetian citizens who could afford it, purchased their own gondolas just as people use a chauffeur driven car today. These wealthy venetians hired private gondoliers to ferry them around the city and maintain their boats.<\/p>\n

Pimp my Ride<\/strong><\/p>\n

The gondola soon became a status symbol like an expensive car with custom fittings.\u00a0 Carved and gilded ornamentation was added to the boats and luxurious fabrics like silk and velvet. Some gondolas were fitted with a private cabin that could be closed with curtains or a door for privacy.\u00a0 These private gondolas became so ostentatious that in 1562, the Venetian authorities decreed that all gondolas (except ceremonial ones) should be painted black to avoid sinfully extravagant displays. \u00a0\u00a0But some wealthy venetians continued to use their ornamental gondolas, choosing to pay the fines in order to keep up appearances.<\/p>\n

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The distinctive look of the gondola and its asymmetrical shape is unique; a gondola has no straight lines or edges and is designed to glide through shallow narrow, canals. Each Gondola were traditionally constructed in a family boatyard called a squero<\/em><\/strong> and the craft was passed down through the ages.\u00a0 Sons learned from their fathers and grandfathers how to select the wood, treat it, warp it and make the frame of the gondola.\u00a0 The majority of the 500 hours that went into making a gondola was the preparation, and applying successive coats of waterproof varnish.\u00a0 The varnish used was a family recipe as closely guarded as one for risotto or a homemade sauce.<\/p>\n

The gondolas of the past were a different shape, the banana-shaped modern gondola was developed by the boat-builder Tramontin and dates back to 1884.\u00a0 The left side of the gondola was made wider than the right to counterbalance the weight of a single gondolier.\u00a0 This modification allowed rowers to steer from the right side without lifting the oar from the water.<\/p>\n

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Artisan builders<\/strong><\/p>\n

A gondola is a unique, handmade craft like a Ferrari on water.\u00a0 Made of 280 hand-cut pieces, eight types of wood are used (lime, oak, mahogany, walnut, cherry, fir, larch and elm). Today’s gondola is up to 11 m long and 1.6 m wide, weighing around 350 kg and can take two to three months to finish.<\/p>\n

Originally the wood was lined up against a template and the curved profile was achieved through an impressive fire and water process that warped the boards with torches made of marsh reeds.\u00a0 Even with the Woodwork finished, the gondola was still not complete.\u00a0 Specialized artisans supplied the gondola makers with fittings and ornaments, upholstery or elaborate covered passenger compartments.\u00a0 However, the most important part of the gondola – the gearstick of the boat and the oars were made by yet another artisan.<\/p>\n

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The F\u00f3rcola<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Venetian oar lock or f\u00f3rcola<\/em> (named after a wishbone), began as a simple, wooden fork but it evolved into a high precision tool that allowed a single gondolier to be in total control with one oar.\u00a0 Much like we change gears in a car today, the gondolier uses the f\u00f3rcola<\/em> to turn, reverse, or adjust the speed of the boat.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

The oars and the f\u00f3rcola<\/em> are made by another artisan called remere<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0 <\/em>Made from a quarter of a tree trunk, usually of a walnut tree, each f\u00f3rcola<\/em> is a unique piece which is specifically designed for each gondolier, according to his height and rowing needs.\u00a0 Although a gondolier may have many boats in his lifetime, he may use the same f\u00f3rcola<\/em> for life.<\/p>\n

Like the gondolas, making a f\u00f3rcola <\/em>requires skill and time.\u00a0 The wood is selected, seasoned and carved.\u00a0 After this, the piece is left for a year or more to season which gives it the strength and flexibility to endure the friction of the oar and the humidity of the atmosphere.<\/p>\n

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Taking a gondola ride<\/strong><\/p>\n

Riding in a gondola today is the preserve of the tourists as the wealthy merchants have long gone.\u00a0 Why is a gondola ride so expensive?<\/strong> Perhaps now it is clear, when you take a ride in a gondola you are riding in a bespoke, water limousine, hand built by skilled artisans who have passed their skills down over the generations.\u00a0 They take time to build; hundreds if not thousands of hour\u2019s work goes into crafting this sleek black boat and of course like all boats a gondola needs to be maintained regularly.\u00a0 Also, it is not easy to pilot a gondola through the busy canals of Venice and gondoliers must pass over 400 hours of training, and only a few licences are given out each year.<\/p>\n

Gondola prices are fixed, starting at \u20ac80 for 30 minutes (\u20ac100 at sunset)<\/strong>.\u00a0 Gondoliers today still have a bad rap like modern taxi drivers so you should agree the route your price and any extras.\u00a0 Many companies offer group gondola rides, but unless you are alone, the price per person may end up the same as if you had one to yourself.<\/p>\n

Should you take a Gondola ride in Venice? Yes, is the only answer!<\/strong>\u00a0 Water defines Venice and to ride through the canals on a gondola is the most magical way you can experience \u2018La Serenissima\u2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Gondolas of Venice The gondola is a symbol of Venice, recognisable the world over.\u00a0 In fact, nowhere else in the world, will you find a boat quite like it.\u00a0 Although today a gondola ride is a popular tourist attraction, gondolas have glided through the canals of Venice for over five hundred years. How did….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1066,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev1.kindlebit.com\/Development\/Venice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1065"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev1.kindlebit.com\/Development\/Venice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev1.kindlebit.com\/Development\/Venice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev1.kindlebit.com\/Development\/Venice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev1.kindlebit.com\/Development\/Venice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1065"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dev1.kindlebit.com\/Development\/Venice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1065\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1071,"href":"https:\/\/dev1.kindlebit.com\/Development\/Venice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1065\/revisions\/1071"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev1.kindlebit.com\/Development\/Venice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev1.kindlebit.com\/Development\/Venice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev1.kindlebit.com\/Development\/Venice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev1.kindlebit.com\/Development\/Venice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}