When I think of Venice, the first thing I think of are canals and gondolas.Venice is made of 117 islands, 150 canals, 4 main bridges and 391 walkways.
The canals are very pretty, iconic and romantic.
The city is a UNESCO site.
But they can also make navigating and hauling a heavy suitcase around a bit more complicated.
Since I am hauling all my worldly possessions in my suitcase, I know first hand how challenging it can be.
Venice, founded in the 5th century, was a city built on stilts in a marshy lagoon. (The foundation and stilts are a bit more complicated than I made it sound.)
It
was thought that the Venetians were forced to flee from the mainland
because of conquerors and invaders and they thought that building in the
lagoons would protect the inhabitants.
Five centuries later, in the 10th century, Venice became a major maritime power.
There is a water bus service that goes down the Grand Canal that serves as public transport. Then there are vaporetto's (smaller ferries) and private water taxis. But most famous are the gondolas.
At one time there were over 10,00 gondolas on the canals. Now there are just over 400 gondolas.
Centuries ago the noblemen that owned the gondolas all tried to outdo each other with their decorations. (There are some things that will never change.) A law was passed by the Dodge in the 17th century that gondolas all had to be black to eliminate the competition for the fanciest gondola.
Gondolas are typically 35 feet long and 5 feet wide. Each has unique upholstery, trim, detailing and a unique metal "ferro" (at the front of the boat.) It takes about 2 months to build a gondola and costs about €35 to €50K. They can last about 15 yeas, then they can be repainted to last another 10 years.
The ferro at the front acts as a counterweight to the gondolier. It has an S shape to symbolize the progress of the Grand Canal, 6 prongs for the 6 districts of Venice, the tip is the Dodge's hat, and the bow is the Rialto bridge.
It was a bit cloudy and rainy our first couple of days, so the gondoliers weren't very busy. But, it is very prestigious to be a gondolier and is a highly regarded and sought-after profession. There are 400 hours of rigorous training under the sponsorship of an existing member and they must belong to the 1000 year old guild.
Licenses are passed down to family members. There are currently 433 gondoliers.
It is one of the highest paid professions in Venice and gondoliers can earn up to $150K/year.
It has typically been an all-male profession, but after 9 centuries, the first female gondolier graduated in 2010. As of April 2022 there were 5 female gondoliers.
We ladies didn't have time to train, but here is hoping there will be many more generations of females joining the prestigious ranks of gondoliers.
1 comment:
Wow, € 150K per year. I think I need to get that job!
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