GONDOLA,GONDOLIERS

                               Gondola or rather an ark, or a chest, from ancient Greek etymon. Maybe a closed space, protected, within which few precious riches had been kept belonging to the first inhabitants of the lagoon. Since the most ancient times, this boat has been a key element that the life and survival of Venice depended on.

Each type of craft used to get built taking into account the need imposed by the structure of canals and their twisting and turnings, together with the dangers of shallow water. The absence of keel and rudder made the boats, from the flat bottom, able to be manoeuvred by the means of only one oar, by a boatman that stands up aft. This characteristic use of an oar belongs to so-called “voga alla veneta” (Venetian style rowing). This type of rowing is peculiar in all the Venetian boats, that can boast of having a very unique type of poppet called “forcola” (crutch) in Venetian. A “crutch” is made of one quarter of wood trunk, usually walnut, of about 60 cm in diameter. It’s got a very complex shape that varies depending on body characteristics and the rowing style of each rower.

And it’s only by fully making use if its shape that a gondolier, masterly manoeuvring the oar, manages to imprint any direction of motion to the gondola. The poppets get completely hand-built, carving renowned woods for their elasticity, with the help of tools that only expert artisans are capable of using.

They get used every day, by both the lovers of Venetian style rowing and as objects of typical Venetian handicraft to show off as a work of art. One poppet is actually exposed in New York in Metropolitan Museum! Builders of poppets are called “remeri” (oar-men) and in addition to these they also build oars, that Serenissima continued to request in huge quantities. There are by now very few in Venice who continue the tradition of this famous skill, amongst these: F. Furlanetto, S.Pastor and P. Brandolisio.

The greatness of Venice and its power have always been indissolubly linked to its maritime gift, therefore to the production of a considerable number of crafts that used to be accomplished in a core place for this activity; the Arsenal.

The Arsenal occupied a large area of Castello, and gave work to thousands of workers up to relatively recent times. In any case, there existed other small boatyards where boats used to be constructed; such yards were and still are called “squeri”.

In squeri there were the ‘masters of axe’ and the secrets of crafting wood and lustre of colours, of painting and decorative carving were handed down from father to son. In the construction of gondolas, particularly, 8 types of excellent wood get used: oak, cherry, larch, lime, walnut, mahogany and elm. Each one of these types of woods gets utilised for accomplishment of specific boat components, hand-carved using traditional tools: an axe, a plane, a saw and a hammer. The bilges of wooden panels are obtained naturally dampening and warming up the wood using fire. The line of the aft boat gets designed taking into account the owner’s weight and Veneto foot is still used for measures, being most suitable for the operation. A gondola has a curious shape of half moon, because only a small part of its hull rests on the water with the purpose of reducing friction. It’s inclined on the right-hand  side with regards to the surface of the water and gets maintained in equilibrium by an oar on the poppet and thanks to a gondolier who, from the other side, manages to manoeuvre it very skilfully.

Ancient gondolas used to be supplied with an arched covering, called “felze” (cabin) and decorated with precious fabrics and rugs. In order to avoid showing off of richness, the judges assigned the use of only one type of fabric for “felze”: a black woollen cloth called “rascia”.

The “squeraroli” (gondola makers) were part of the School of Art and Crafts and their seat was near the church of S. Trovaso, where still today there can be found one squero. At present, only few squeri have remained in activity: Tramontin, Coop. of S. Trovaso, in Dorsoduro, Crea and Dei Rossi on Giudecca.

WHAT IS THE GONDOLA?

First of all, it’s a symbol of Venice, an elegant black boat that can be driven easily with a single oar by one man or one… woman? Up until now, no woman has been admitted in the official gondola service: Alexandra Hai and other female candidates have failed to pass the exam. The official reason is inexperience and lack of skill. But everybody knows that admitting a woman to this profession would break a diehard tradition. How do you drive a gondola? As you may recall from endless photographs, the gondolier stands up and turns to the direction of movement: this is called “voga alla veneziana”, rowing Venetian style. The oar is supported by the characteristic “forcola”, made from a single piece of walnut, like an arm folded at the elbow.Eleven metres in length, 600 kilos in weight, made with eight different kinds of wood in 280 pieces (the only elements in metal are the “iron” of the head and the “risso” of the stern), the gondola is asymmetric: the left side is larger than the right by 24 cm. The asymmetry makes it inclined on one side. The bottom is flat, so that the gondola can navigate in shallow water, only a few cms. deep.

The iron of the gondola head, used to gain stability by counter-balancing the gondolier’s weight, is a mini-map of Venice: the six strips called “pettini” (comb) represent the six “sestieri” (quarters); an additional long strip represents Giudecca Island; the double “S” bending represents the Grand Canal; on top is a stylized dogal horn and, under that, a lunette representing the Rialto bridge.

The origin of the name “gondola” is uncertain: it may come from the Latin “cymbula” (little boat) or “cuncula”, diminutive of “concha” (shell). It made its first appearance in paintings in the late 15th and early 16th Centuries in works by Gentile Bellini, Vittore Carpaccio, and Giovanni Mansueti. According to documents of the Serenissima Republic (the ancient state of Venice), the gondola was born in the early 1000s. With time, the gondola acquired characteristics that distinguished it as a boat designed for the private transport of persons of a certain rank. Even today, a gondola ride isn’t that cheap (see below).

The gondola was not only a means of transportation: a closed cabin (“felze”) placed in its centre (not in use nowadays) offered both a shelter from bad weather and privacy for the passengers, who could enjoy reading, food, drink, conversation, or romance without being seen. The dark side is that escaped criminals and kidnappers have favoured the felze. With open cabins, Venetians cooled off on hot summer nights (“fresco”) while showing off their finery.

The shipyards where gondolas are built are called “squeri” and their workers “squeraroli”. Oars and forcole are built by specialists called “remeri” (from “remo”, oar). Rare nowadays, the squeri were present all over the city in past centuries, building a huge number of boats and ships for commercial use. The decline of the squeri began with the fall of the Serenissima Republic, defeated by Napoleon in 1797. Later on, new technologies and new materials revolutionised the naval shipyards. In Venice, many squeri dedicated themselves to minor repairs, others became motorboat shipyards, and others closed. Some, of course survive, producing the traditional lagoon-crafts and gondolas.

Nowadays in Venice, it’s common to see gondolas used for tourists (called “charterage gondolas”, as they are hired), the gondolas for celebrations (weddings), the gondolas “da parada” (or “traghetto”) for the quick crossings of the Grand Canal. Their hulls are all black thanks to pitch, which is used for waterproofing. The upper and inside parts may have decorations in gold and coloured velvets and carpets (usually red or yellow): these are the gondolas especially used for marriages or special occasions. By contrast, it seems tawdry and meaningless to see the plastic flower bouquets that sometimes adorn them.