Gondola on the background of the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Artist Camille Corot.

Gondola rightfully considered a symbol Venice. This is a very ancient type of vessel: the classic design of a narrow flat-bottomed boat with raised ends was formed about a thousand years ago and has not changed much since then. Recent design adjustments gondolas introduced in the 18th century - then all their characteristics, including dimensions, materials and even color, were legally regulated and strictly observed to this day. Perhaps, it is unlikely that you will find such an unshakable adherence to traditions anywhere else!

Canal San Marco and Doge's Palace. Artist Francesco Guardi.

Venice- the only city in the world where there is no wheeled transport. The role of streets and avenues is played by canals. The land streets are so narrow, cramped and humpbacked due to the abundance of arched bridges that even in the 16th century Venetian The Doge issued a decree banning not only carriages and carts, but also riding horses. Since then, the inhabitants of this amazing city have used only one mode of transport - water.

Gondola on the Grand Canal.

Shape and design gondolas- a vivid example of evolution in the field of "small-tonnage shipbuilding". The volume of traffic was large, the channels were narrow, special seaworthiness was not required, so a boat with a very long and narrow hull looked the most rational. The traffic on the canals was extremely intense, and ordinary oars with oarlocks would interfere with neighboring and oncoming ships. Therefore, the movement technique gondola not quite rowing, but rather rowing-jogging. Gondola usually one person controls: standing facing forward, he rocks the boat and at the same time performs ingenious manipulations with the oar.

As gondolier works with an oar from one side (right), then, in order to compensate for the deviation to the left, the hull of the boat has an asymmetric shape: the contours of its left side are fuller than the right. Gondola slides through the water not directly, but along a wave-like trajectory, and steering a vessel in tight channels requires certain skills. Curiously, the effort it takes gondolier, practically do not depend on the load of the boat.

Parking gondola. It is clearly seen that the hull of the boats has an asymmetric shape.

AT Venice gondolas supplanted all other types of ships in the Middle Ages. There is evidence that during the heyday Republic of Venice the city had about 10 thousand gondolas and 14 thousand gondoliers. In the 18th century, a law appeared regulating the size and design of boats, and "to combat waste" they were ordered to be painted only in black. True, it is possible that black gondolas became much earlier: according to one version, they were ordered to be repainted in 1562, when a plague epidemic raged in the city. Then on gondolas the bodies of the dead were transported, and the motley coloring of the ships looked out of place. Later, the authorities ordered that the boats be left black in memory of the tragedy that had befallen the city, and the law of the 18th century only confirmed the established tradition.

Gondolas are the "black swans" of the Venetian canals.

One way or another, but today through the channels Venice only blacks prance gondolas. They are all the same size: the length of the hull is 11.05 m, the width is 1.4 m. The empty weight of the boat is about 400 kg. The hull has an asymmetric shape: amidships, relative to the keel, its left side is 24 cm wider than the right. The bow and stern of the boat are raised up to minimize the area of ​​contact with water, and, accordingly, the resistance to movement, as well as increase maneuverability. In the manufacture gondolas traditionally used nine varieties of wood. From above, the case is decorated with decorative carvings and covered with a special black varnish in several layers.

The gondolier steers the boat by standing facing forward and working with one oar.

On the nose gondolas a flat iron comb is installed - "ferro" (ferro). It performs several functions: it protects the bow of the boat from impact, serves as a counterweight to the one standing at the stern gondolier, according to it, the height of the clearance of the next bridge is estimated and it is determined whether it will pass under it gondola or not. The six ledges on the ferro symbolize the areas of the city that Venice was divided in 1169; the seventh protrusion at the back means the island of Giudecca, and the rounding at the top is the doge's headdress.

As already mentioned, modern gondolas only one oar, which is installed in the oarlock of a special shape, called "forcola" (forcola). The design of the forkola allows the experienced gondolier skillfully wield the oar, providing various speed modes of the boat, turns and circulation, emergency braking and accurate mooring.

Maximum capacity gondolas- six passengers. Sometimes boats are equipped with a small cabin-tent for protection from the scorching sun or bad weather.

Gondola with cabin-tent and two gondoliers. This picture was taken almost a century ago.

Now in Venice there is only one shipyard involved in the construction and repair gondolas. All work on it is carried out manually, according to ancient technology. Each boat is assembled from 280 individual parts and takes approximately three years to build. Price gondolas comparable to the cost of a prestigious car and is measured in tens of thousands of euros. All boats in use are the property of gondoliers, and therefore the owner tries in every possible way to protect his transport, which is the source of his income. Average service life gondolas is approximately 15 years. The high cost of the vessel, its relatively short life, multiplied by the increased requirements for the qualifications of the owners operating them, predetermine the fact that boat trips on "Venetian Taxi" are very expensive for tourists.

The transverse bulkheads of the gondolas are often decorated with picturesque paintings.

About the profession gondolier should be told separately. It requires great skill and is usually passed down from father to son. From the age of ten, a boy is taught not only to wield an oar, but also to learn history, foreign languages, and singing (it’s not for nothing that gondoliers there is a special kind of songs called barcarolle- from the Italian word barca, i.e "a boat"). Particular attention is paid to the complex science of communicating with wealthy tourists. Today Venetian gondolier- this is a representative of a special caste of handsome men with aristocratic manners, capable of releasing exquisite compliments in different languages ​​to the fair sex of any age ... It is not surprising that in the minds of many gondolier- this is a gigolo, enjoying increased attention from rich foreign women.

Gondoliers unhurried and full of self-esteem. They have their own uniform - a straw hat with ribbons and a striped T-shirt. Their profession is considered prestigious, and the number of work licenses gondolier in Venice strictly limited: they are issued 425, no more, no less.

Gondolier at his boat waiting for those wishing to take a boat trip.

Historically gondoliers only men could become, but in June 2009 this centuries-old tradition was broken. 23 year old Georgia Boscolo passed difficult exams and became the first in history Venice officially recognized female gondolier. Although she comes from a family of hereditary gondoliers, however, obtaining her license caused discontent among her male colleagues. Even father Georgia Dante Boscolo although she is proud of her daughter, she still believes that she has chosen a completely non-female profession.

Gondolas on the Grand Canal. Artist Bernardo Belotto.

Interesting that the word gondola, first encountered in Venetian document of 1094, in Italy it is pronounced with an accent on the first syllable. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the same was said in Russia. However, Russian poets did not like this sound, often dedicating Venice verses: by the way "gondola" it was very difficult to find a rhyme. And they unanimously began to transfer the stress to the second syllable - then the task was greatly simplified (for example, to gondola rhymed well "barcarolle"). Gradually, this pronunciation became traditional with us. Only in recent years has the word begun to sound again "gondola"- in particular, it is used by Russian guides working in Italy.

In addition to traditional passenger gondolas, now used exclusively for the entertainment of tourists, in Venice there are special and ceremonial gondolas. They are quite rare - as a rule, on holidays or on the occasion of certain important events. For example, there is wedding gondolas, gondolas-hearses, ferry gondolas (traghetto), racing gondolas (gondola di regatta). They sometimes accommodate up to 15 people and have multiple rowers. It should be emphasized gondola of the Doge of Venice, which takes part in the annual September Historical Regatta Regatta Storica. This richly decorated vessel houses a record-breaking gondolas the number of rowers is 12.

Ceremonial gondola hearse. Photo of the first half of the last century.

Version one: a certain Venetian doge, married to a young girl, once learned that at night an unknown signor in a long black cloak on a black gondola was sailing to his wife. It was the only black gondola in all Venice, everyone painted the rest of the boats to their taste. Not wanting to be publicly disgraced, the Doge issued an order to repaint absolutely all gondolas black. The lover still visited the dogeress at night, but no one could determine whether it was he or the doge himself.

Version two: In 1562, an epidemic swept Venice plague. The number of deaths was enormous. Their bodies were transported on gondolas for a long time. And then someone from the Venetian government drew attention to the fact that the bright festive color gondolas on which the bodies of the dead are transported looks ridiculous and even blasphemous. Soon a decree was issued by which all gondola venice it was necessary to repaint it in black, a mourning color, the color of coffins. Since then, gondolas have been painted exclusively black. By the way, 100 years later, an epidemic broke out in Venice again. plague and in memory of her they built the second beautiful church of Venice - Santa Maria della Salute, which we briefly talked about in the material "".

Which version is the reality remains a mystery.

We liked everything about Venice. The windows were especially fond of. They are large and comfortable. Not even so much the windows as their entire structure. Each window is closed with platbands. Moreover, it is so light and dense that not a single ray of light passes through. From the inside, the window is twitched with a light curtain and a thick curtain. The soundproofing of the windows is excellent. You get good sleep + sea air, + hiking until you drop. And everything would be fine, but such a strange thing happened ...

These are our windows. They go out onto a narrow canal and a bridge, a gondola sleeps under the windows. So our neighbor is a gondolier. Vehicles park right under the window. So the first thing we studied the structure of the boat.

Venetian gondola

This is the highlight of the city. Of course, I wanted to see and ride it, and learn how it is made. Gondolas in Venice were a luxury item. Once upon a time, rich merchants and noble families moved around the city on them. Where else can you show off your wealth? Nobles spared no expense on gondolas.

Often in gondolas there is a covered small table with wine and fruit, the bottom and benches are covered with dense fabrics. I can imagine what kind of brocade and velvet the merchants used to decorate their favorites. Now, the gondola is exclusively a tourist attraction. The cost of a gondola is equivalent to the cost of a car: 30 - 90 thousand dollars.

By the way, we did not know that her sides had different heights. At first we thought that our gondola was just a little bit skewed. Strange, of course, but you never know what kind of marriage happens in an unfamiliar country.

In general, we saw, studied the outlandish boat, and went to bed. Jackdaw got a bedroom, and I got a living room, designed for 4 guests. I chose the bed on which I will sleep today, closed the windows, shutters, pulled the curtains and curtains. Super! Deafly, as in a spacious tank, she bowed her head to the pillow, and dreams began ...

Mysterious rattle

In the early morning, to determine how much it was earlier in complete darkness, I could not, there was a terrible rattle, as if an excavator was screeching along the walls of the house with its bucket. I did not dare to get out of a warm morning bed to find out what it was. Firstly, the eyes did not open, and, secondly, suddenly it will go over the head! Foreign country, foreign customs.

Jackdaw, this rattle spoiled a beautiful dream. And she dreamed that she had acquired property in Venice. The property. But such a strange property - a small balcony in an old building. We went to the theater, there, in the foyer, there was just such a balcony hanging over the water. So she stood on her private territory, admiring the sunset, and then a terrible excavator sailed up and let's hit her balcony. Knocked down to the very foundation.

Needless to say, in what upset feelings Galya drank her morning coffee in our spacious kitchen, at a long wooden table. She even refused to eat tagle hotels. This is Galya! We consulted and decided to find out what was so gnashing.

Maybe this - gondola?

The first assumption is that it is a gondola. The canals in Venice are narrow, the gondolas are long, sometimes it is not clear how, in general, it is possible to turn around in such a narrow strait. The gondolas have high raised capes, decorated with an iron crest. With it, the gondolier will know if the boat will pass under the bridge. Although, I think the gondoliers know the canals and bridges of their hometown like the lines of their hand.

Maybe the rattle from the fact that the gondola was squeezing under the bridge? We checked the height of the bridge - no, the gondola passes quietly. And it is unlikely that the gondolier will injure his nurse so much.

We walked through the city until we reached the workshop where gondolas are made. We did not dare to look inside. See what a serious face the master has. He does not just chew, he plans how to make 280 parts from 8 types of wood. To create a gondola you need 280 parts.

The craft of making gondolas has flourished since the 11th century. The Venetian gondola is made according to the standard. The length is approximately 10 meters, the width is 1 m 30 cm. This is a flat-bottomed boat. Often, in addition to seats, she has a canopy that shelters passengers from rain and sun. Each gondola is unique and custom made. You will walk - take a closer look. Each gondola has its own appearance.

A gondola is a single row boat. It is controlled by a rower - a gondolier, which is located at the stern, facing in the direction of travel. The Venetian gondola looks solemn and elegant. All of them are black. This is how it happened historically. In the evening, the boats are covered with a bright blue-blue cloth. Parked gondolas look elegant and romantic.

There are two legends explaining the black color of the boats. The first tells of an old Doge whose young wife cheated on him with a young gentleman who arrives at the house in a black gondola. To avoid unnecessary talk about a young lover, the Doge ordered all the boats to be painted black. Since then G ondoles in Venice are only black. Then the gentleman's boat will not stand out and the conversations will stop. *Still, the humanity of the Italians fascinates me. We would have gone to a monastery or to a river, but here, simply, the law on the color of boats *.

The second legend says that the gondolas in Venice began to be painted black during the plague. The bodies of the dead people were taken out in boats. Colorfulness and splendor in such a tragic time are not appropriate. The black color was left in memory of the days of the plague.

There is a third version - the fight against the extravagance of the Venetians.

The festival of getting rid of the plague - Redentore, the Venetians celebrate every year. Also, every year on the first Sunday of September, the Historical Regatta (Regata Storica) is held in the city. Each island or region exhibits its own boat and gondolier. As part of the Historical Regatta, a gondola parade and gondolier competitions take place. For men who dream of becoming gondoliers, but who were not born into a family of gondoliers, this is the only opportunity to enter the circle of the elite.

Gondoliers are an ancient profession. The craft is passed down from father to son. Women are not accepted as gondoliers. When entering the school of gondoliers, preference is given to hereditary gondoliers.

On one bridge, we observed just such a floating party. She taxied out from behind the houses to the accordion and swam under the bridge in a long file. What is the company? Maybe a corporate party?

When the gondola comes close to the shore (canal wall or house), the gondolier turns around and pushes off the wall with his foot. Paddle does not release, paddle does not help itself. We didn't see the gondoliers rowing. Rowing, as we usually do it. Gondola steering uses a different technique. The gondolier rocks the boat and the oar moves with an intricate trajectory. The stroke of a gondolier is more of a push than a stroke.

A chain of bridges and footbridges led us to Piazza San Marco. There, wrapped in blue cloaks, the long bodies of gondolas are splashing along the shore.

Next to San Marco taxi. Gondoliers rest on the benches. Only gondoliers. The rest are not allowed on the threshold.

If you want to ride a gondola, then say g O ndola. Otherwise, you will not be understood. This is the correct accent. In Russia, the accent is gond O la arose thanks to poetry. It was more convenient to rhyme: gondola - barcarolle. Barcarolle is a baroque song. They say that gondoliers have their own folklore. We only heard famous Italian songs like Santa Lucia. Maybe, famous Italian hits are sung especially for tourists. “Here’s your grandmother, your favorite song“ Valenki ”?

Gondoliers are exceptionally strong people in vests. They look bravo. They love to pose, flirt and smile. They are all great. In 2009, the first female gondolier appeared. To be a gondolier, you need to get a license, know not only the rules of driving a gondola and road signs. The gondolier must be able to communicate, speak a foreign language ( English obligatory), know the history and culture of the country, be able to sing songs.

Everything looks so romantic that you don’t even want to think if gondoliers go to psychologists, for example. If we discard the beauty and prestige of the profession. Well, just think - all the men in the family are gondoliers. And son, and father, and grandfather, and great-grandfather, and great-grandfather, etc. all life in a boat. And you won't be on Twitter. You can, of course, retire, learn from the newspapers what is happening in the world. A good profession, of course, is profitable, but there is some kind of hopelessness in this.

Now there are about 500 gondolas in Venice, and in the 18th century there were more than 10,000.

I remember the film "Casanova's Cloak", where a Russian, romantically inclined tourist got into a bind. She mistook the courtship of a Gigalo for love. Single tourists in Venice should be careful. The gondoliers even have a Gigalo trade union. Handsome boatmen know how to break the hearts of rich tourists. Between themselves, they exchange information about the newly arrived rich tourists. Venetian gigolos have their own rules - do not break up pairs. So the couple is not in danger. Women, get carried away, but do not forget about the dangers.

How much is the gondola

Pleasure is not cheap, it is profitable to ride in the company. The price for the first 40 minutes is from 80 - 90 euros. Naturally, this is not the limit. As a rule, a price tag hangs on the boat. Pay attention to him, but bargain. This is fine. The gondola can accommodate from four to six passengers (we do not count the gondolier). Payment is per boat, so the amount can be divided by the number of participants willing to ride the gondola.

• You can book a shared gondola ride here
• Or take private gondola tour with a musician on board.

By the way, between the Rialto Bridge and Piazza San Marco there is a traghetto stop - a boat that runs from one coast to another. The cost of a trip in such a boat is approximately 50 cents. Tragetto is a type of gondola. Low price, because - public transport, because you won’t ride for a long time, you’ll get out soon, well, and - not as elegant as a Venetian gondola.

Who gnashed so terribly? Unnoticed, we reached the station where our train arrived. Here are the vaporetto stops. Maybe he made a rattle? No, he feels good in the Grand Canal, in our canal under the windows, such a colossus will not fit.

Who was it?

boat? Yes, it seems. But why did the sound come from the upper floors? The most reliable option remains. In Venice, not only gondolas and gondoliers, but also flying saucers, on which little green men fly to admire the city on the water.

I would like to see what gondolas and gondoliers looked like in the 18th century. And this is how they probably looked in the photographs in XX:

Sincerely, Galina Subbotina and Alla Sutyagina

Venice - the eternal city of romance! For many centuries in a row, he is predicted to be completely flooded, but he, like a phoenix bird, rises from the water, leaving multiple "scars" on his body from experienced floods.

When I hear the word "Venice", a romantic picture is drawn in my imagination - evening, a narrow canal, a couple in love in a gondola, to which the gondolier sings a song, slowly floating along the houses that grow out of the water and are connected by bridges.

If you ask a gondolier about the history of the gondola, he will tell you a beautiful legend about a young boy and girl who wandered the streets of Venice all day long in search of a secluded place, but could not find it. And when it got dark, the moon took pity on the lovers, descended from the sky directly into the waters of the canal in the form of a shining gondola, where they enjoyed each other's company all night.

Once the profession of a gondolier was seasonal, from May to September. The rest of the time, the gondoliers were engaged in other crafts. Now, with the influx of tourists, it is in demand all year round.

The Venetian gondolier is not a job or a profession, it is a vocation and an art!

Back in the 17th century, Pyotr Andreyevich Tolstoy, a stolnik from Russia, who visited the Venetian Republic, described the situation in the city as follows:

"There are no livestock on the territory of Venice, there are no carriages, no loaded carts, no horses, no luxurious carriages with coats of arms in the city. The Venetians do not even know what a sleigh is."

The narrow streets of Venice, located between the canals, are so unpredictable and cramped that it is difficult for riders to drive through them, because of this, back in the 16th century, the use of horses in the city was strictly prohibited by the Venetian authorities, residents of the city on the water could only use water transport for movement .

// ikkamirnaya.livejournal.com

Initially, the word "gondola" was used to refer to absolutely any boat, regardless of its size or shape; over the years, the appearance of the gondola has changed significantly. The word "gondola" in the original sounds with an accent on the first syllable. It is believed that the origin of the concept of "gondola" is etymologically connected with the word "gonger", which translates as "sea eel".

The canals of Venice are so narrow that it was difficult for boats with passengers and various goods to pass each other.

Therefore, they tried to make the gondolas as narrow as possible, and to increase their carrying capacity, the length of the boat was maximized. Now the gondola is a narrow, oblong boat of an asymmetric shape, while sliding along the water surface, it moves forward in zigzag movements, and the gondolier, trying to keep the right direction, constantly has to align its position.

// ikkamirnaya.livejournal.com

The length of the boat is 11.05 meters, the width is 140 centimeters, the bottom is flat without a keel. The weight of an empty gondola is about 900 pounds (about 400 kilograms). Due to its asymmetric shape, the length of the port side is 24 cm longer than the right side. The hull of the boat has a rounded shape, the bow and stern are raised up to minimize the area of ​​contact with water and give the rower guidelines for the direction of movement.

In the manufacture of the gondola, nine types of wood are used. After manufacturing, the hull of the boat is covered in several layers with a special black varnish.

The gondola has only one oar, historically this was due to the narrowness of the canals, in which two-oared boats could not disperse. The oar is held in an oar lock called "forcola".

The design of the forkola has a complex shape, allowing several positions of the oar to be implemented:

for slow forward movement, powerful fast rowing, turning and turning the boat, slowing down and rowing back. A special iron knob - "ferro" is installed on the nose of the gondola.

The installation of a ferro serves several purposes: the iron tip protects the bow of the boat; is a counterweight to the gondolier standing at the opposite end; it determines the height of the bridge and the possibility of the passage of the gondola under it. In the form of a ferro, there are six protrusions, symbolizing the six districts of the city, characteristic of 1169, in the other direction, the sign is crossed by the seventh strip, associated with the island of Giudecca, and the rounding itself at the top of this gondola element resembles the hat of the Doge of Venice.

The Venetian Association of Gondoliers monitors the observance of the rules and the purity of traditions. The history of the Association has almost a thousand years - it arose in 1094. It is hard to imagine the city of love and romance without black gondolas)

The maximum number of passengers carried on a gondola is six.

// ikkamirnaya.livejournal.com

It is allowed to have a small passenger cabin to shelter passengers from the sun and rain. On the canals, as well as on ordinary streets of modern cities, traffic lights have long been installed. As a rule, they are located above the "crossroads", at the intersection of the Venetian canals, but there are only two colors on the Venetian traffic lights - green and red.

According to tradition, gondoliers rarely look at traffic lights, and before crossings they begin to shout loudly so as not to collide with another boat. Although the gondolas are now mainly for tourists, so their number has drastically reduced, the natives of Venice usually travel by motorboats, which is much faster and cheaper.

// ikkamirnaya.livejournal.com

Today, the number of gondoliers in Venice is limited, there are just over 400 of them, and earlier there were thousands. Licenses for this work can be inherited from father to son, as a result of which it is not easy for an outsider to get into the number of gondoliers. There are a lot of people who want to become one of the Venetian gondoliers. Becoming a gondolier is not an easy task, you have to prepare for a long time, study and pass a lot of exams, including English, know the geography of Venice and, of course, practice driving, maneuvering a gondola along the narrow canals of Venice.

// ikkamirnaya.livejournal.com

Traditionally, only men have worked as gondoliers for centuries. 23-year-old Georgia Boscolo became the first certified female gondolier in the history of Venice. Boscolo is a family of a hereditary gondolier, her father, Dante Boscolo, was engaged in this craft.

He still believes that the gondolier is not a female profession, but still proud of his daughter.

// ikkamirnaya.livejournal.com

Previously, the gondolas were painted in different colors, but now they are all traditionally black. According to a well-known legend, the elderly Doge of Venice was married to a young beautiful girl, and some time after the wedding, the servants informed him that at night his young wife was visited by a man wrapped in a cloak, sailing up to the palace on a black gondola. The old Doge turned out to be beyond his strength to fight the betrayals of his wife, and the introduction of a law that all gondolas in Venice were repainted black allowed the old ruler to partially wash away his shame so that the Venetians would simply cease to recognize the gondola sailing up to his palace.

The Venetian gondola has long been a constant symbol of this Italian city on the water. Such unique in their design and boats are nowhere to be found. Just like the unique Turkish or Arabic ones, Italian gondolas have passed through the centuries, retaining not only their original design, but also their relevance in the modern world.

There is a version that the inhabitants of Venice appeared long before the emergence of the city itself on the water, back in the 4th century, and its first creators were the ancient Romans. The name, which in translation means “boat”, also came from the ancient Roman civilization.

Such a boat turned out to have a lot of advantages, thanks to which it easily “took root” on the canals of Venice. Light, comfortable, roomy, characterized by good cornering maneuverability and a decent speed of movement - the Roman "fundola" fell in love with the inhabitants of Venice and became an integral part of their lives.

However, the Venetians themselves like to tell a different story of the origin of the gondola - more romantic, in the spirit of their hometown. According to this legend, once a couple in love could not find a place where they could retire, and then the month took pity on them, went down into the water and became a gilded boat - a gondola, on which the lovers spent the whole night.

Design features of gondolas

Many mistakenly believe that all Venetian gondolas are the same, but in reality there are only a number of nuances that, when building such traditional boats, are invariable rules and are determined by the city authorities. In general, the creators of gondolas are not limited in creating the original boat according to the wishes of the customer.

The length of modern gondolas is within 11 m, and despite the fact that the width of such a Venetian boat is only 1.4 m. Such a traditional Venetian boat is created from 280 parts, which are cut from eight types of wood. The standard gondola has an elongated shape with a high stern, a slightly raised figured bow and a flat bottom. This design allows the fastest and most convenient movement through the narrow canals of Venice. Operated only by the oar of the gondolier, the gondola is capable of moving at a speed of up to 4 km / h, and despite the fact that the weight of even such an empty boat is at least 400 kg.

A distinctive feature of the design of the gondola is the ferro - an elegant knob on the bow of the boat, which many take for decoration. In fact, it has several practical functions. Ferro serves as a counterweight to the gondolier and protects against collisions, and it also determines the possibility of passing a boat under bridges.

Gondola design as a tribute to history

Historical sources claim that the first gondolas were painted in various colors, and only over time acquired their standard strict dark color.

The usual dark color of the gondolas, for which they are poetically called "black swans", is explained by various legends. According to one of them, the city hall issued an official decree on the use of an exclusively strict dark color for painting boats in order to stop the struggle of the local aristocracy, who wanted to demonstrate their superiority with all sorts of decorations.

According to another version, the variegated colors disappeared as a sign of mourning for those who died at a time when the plague dominated Europe, which claimed the lives of many Venetians. Another legend says that a lover secretly visited the wife of the ruler of Venice on a black gondola, and then, trying to hide such a shame, the doge issued a law in which everyone had to repaint the boats black.

Prestigious profession - gondolier

Gondoliers usually work exclusively on their own boats. The cost of a gondola is rather big and can range from 25 to 75 thousand euros. However, the profession of a gondolier in Venice is inherited.

Only beginners in any case (outside of family traditions) are required to take a 9-month course in the art of managing a gondola and, following the results, pass a difficult aptitude test. In addition, everyone who wants to be engaged in transporting tourists along the canals of Venice must also confirm their successful fluency in English.

As a rule, this profession is purely male, but there are cases when women also received the right to drive a gondola. In 2010, young Georgia Boscolo, the daughter of a gondolier, continued her father's legacy by becoming the first woman in modern history to pilot this traditional Venice boat.

Modern gondolas

The process of making a gondola is not easy, so only up to 20 of these boats are created per year, each of which is made exclusively to order. Gondolas are made, as a rule, at small boat yards in Italy. The price of one such boat can be up to 40-75 thousand euros.

One of the most prestigious such manufacturers in Venice is the shipyard Squero San Trovaso. Excursions are often organized here, which allows you to personally admire how new gondolas are created and old gondolas are restored. On this gondolas are still created by hand, exclusively according to ancient technologies and using the tools of those times. It takes up to 4 months of work to create one such boat. At another shipyard in the city - Roberto Tramotina, they use modern tools and methods to create gondolas, which makes it possible to speed up the process of creating a gondola, reducing the time to 2 months.

It seems that there are countless gondolas in Venice, but in fact there are now a little less than 450 of these boats, although during the time of the Venetian Republic there were more than 7 thousand. In all its grandeur, numerous gondolas in Venice can be admired in early September. On the first Saturday of the month, a grandiose parade of gondolas and gondoliers takes place, combined with the traditional regatta of such boats - Regata Storica, which covers a route of 7 km.