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My first trip to Venice was over twenty years ago. After making a list of all the things I wanted to do and see during my visit, I remember what topped the list…a gondola ride.
When I arrived, I was mesmerized by the canals, the architecture, the shops, the museums, the squares, the food…basically everything around me! There was a picture on every corner and I desperately wanted to share the experience with my family, but not just through pictures.
That gondola ride?
It dawned on me how special it could be and it was something that I wanted to also share with my family…one day. So, I waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
More than twenty years passed and the only gondola ride I ever took was on a traghetto, one of large gondolas that are used by locals and tourists to cross the Grand Canal, especially where there are none of the four bridges to cross its width. While it satisfied my desire to mark that item off of my bucket list, it didn’t cost much (about fifty cents at that time) and it was fun, I still desired that opportunity to have someone significant to share a real gondola ride with.
My husband’s and my anniversary and my birthday (which are a day apart) was coming up and we decided to take a weekend trip to Venice. After some exploration of the city, we found ourselves near the location of the Traghetto San Toma. We needed to cross the Grand Canal, so we dug out the 2 euros and waited to take our place on board. It was a quick crossing, but it gave my husband a taste of what was to come.
The day wore on as we traversed the city and I kept an eye out for the perfect place and time to hire a gondola…not just a traghetto. Having just returned on the water taxi from Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore, we were trying to decide what our next move was. Crossing a small bridge, I noticed a sign advertising the price of the gondola ride at this location.
It was time!
After making an arrangement with the gondolier, we stepped gingerly into the beautifully carved black vessel, took our seats and were off, the gondolier poling us expertly away from the dock.
Gliding through the still waters of the small canal, we admired the passing architecture and listened as our gondolier, Giovanni, regaled us with the story of how the profession had been handed down to him from his father…he was the fourth generation of gondolieri!
It was interesting to learn how under a Venetian law, one must have been born in Venice to become a gondolier. Gondoliers go through rigorous training and must pass rowing and swimming tests as well as spend 12-18 months at an “arte del gondiliere” school where they take courses in a foreign language, Venetian history and culture, geography and rowing. Prospective gondolieri complete 400 hours of training before taking their exams and then they are able to register as a substitute gondolier, work the traghetti and join the exclusive 1000 year old Gondoliers Guild. Only 425 gondolier licenses are awarded by the city and each license is linked to a particular gondola station, so the gondoliers work in the same location.
With such a personable and informative gondolier, we were lucky that we had found that particular station!
The gondola that was our transportation for a half an hour was much like the rest that cruised the Venetian canals… wooden and ebony colored as it has been the since a law was passed in the 17th century. Before this time, the hand-made, flat-bottomed boats were painted in bright, bold colors until a Venetian doge ordered them all to be painted black. Each is 35-feet long and weighs more than 1100 pounds, but the most interesting thing I learned was that the port side of the gondola is nine inches wider than the starboard side so that the gondolier can stand there for balance.
As other gondolas passed in close proximity, I noticed that some wore red striped shirts and some wore blue, a uniform completed with dark blue or black trousers and black shoes. Giovanni explained that the Guild regulates the uniform of the gondolieri and that the emblem of the Gondoliers is embroidered on the shirts and jackets. While he didn’t wear a straw hat with a ribbon, I noticed others that did, discovering that they were optional.
While all of this was fascinating, it was just nice to relax and enjoy the moment, one that had been years in the making. The best part was that not only was I getting the ride that I had waited so long for with my husband, it was on our twenty-ninth wedding anniversary!
Now that was worth waiting for!
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Gondola Rides in Venice
- https://www.introducingvenice.com/gondola-rides
- Address: Locations throughout the city
- €80 (about US$ 81.30). The price goes up to €100 (about US$ 101.60) from 7 pm onwards. If you want the gondolier to sing or to play an instrument during the ride, you will have to pay extra.