Gondola boats
A gondola for passengers may have a small
open cabin, for their protection against sun or rain. A sumptuary law
of Venice required that gondolas should be painted black, and they are
customarily so painted now. A gondola is a traditional Venetian sculling
boat. Gondolas were for centuries the chief means of transportation
within Venice and still have a role in public transport over major canals.
The gondola is propelled
by an oarsman (the gondolier) who stands facing the bow and pushes,
rather than pulls, a single oar. Contrary to popular belief the gondola
is never poled, as the waters of Venice are too deep.
A gondolier, under Venetian
law, must have been born in Venice to practice this profession.
Moored gondolas It is estimated
that there were several thousand gondolas during the 18th century. There
are a few hundred today, most of which are for hire by tourists, while
a few serve as traghetti or are in private ownership and use.
The construction of the
gondola has continued to evolve until the late 19th century, when motorized
boats began to replace gondolas in Venice. A gondola is long and narrow,
with an asymmetrical outline to facilitate propulsion with a single
oar, and a good deal of rocker (lengthwise curvature) to minimise the
area of contact with the water.
The oar or rèmo is
held in an oar lock known as a fòrcola. The forcola is of a complicated
shape, allowing several positions of the oar for slow forward rowing,
powerful forward rowing, turning, slowing down and rowing backwards.
The iron ornament on the front of the boat is called the fèrro. It serves
to protect the prow from accidental damage, as decoration and as counterweight
for the gondolier standing near the stern.
Gondolas parking. Gondolas
are hand made using 8 different types of wood (fir, oak, cherry, walnut,
elm, mahogany, larch and lime) and are composed of 280 pieces. The oars
are made of beech wood and the left side of the gondola is made longer
than the right side to counterbalance the weight of the gondolier.
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