Italy: Gondola yard, Venice

July 2016

On that crazy day-trip to Venice to hang out with dear friends CM and CM (and family), I tagged along on their private tour of the canals via boat. The best was stopping by a "gondola yard" and meeting a master craftsman who explained how those traditional boats were made and maintained.

The boats are built according to a centuries old process that actually has not changed too much over the years - given the boats are not motorized, there really is no reason. I am sure that modern paints and preservatives play a role now, but the tools for crafting the wood remain the same. The shop looked like it is filled with antiques, yet those are the tools they use.

Gondolas are also very expensive! One of them takes months to make (although with proper maintenance they should last for decades). Gondoliers make a lot of money, too. Think of all those tourists paying many Euros for a short ride requiring only a guy to push the boat along with a pole!

Another great experience provided by my friends that I never would have had otherwise, the visit was really the high point of Venice (along with seeing them).

How Venetian gondolas are made - big check!