When was the first gondola made

Each gondola is surprisingly similar to the other. They weigh about kg and measure about 11m long. The boats are built to seamlessly navigate through the narrow canal system and footbridges in Venice. While it is flat-bottomed like a canoe or kayak, the resemblance ends there. Gondolas are asymmetrical, longer and narrower. Interestingly, each gondola is made from eight different kinds of wood -- elm, mahogany, birch, oak, lime, cherry, walnut and larch.

Each serves a different purpose in ensuring the boat stays afloat and can carry maximum weight. It also dually helps keep the gondola level above water.

The only adornment is the risso , a seahorse-shaped ornament that placed on the stern. Not used the Gondolas since went again ; great tour of Venice by water as My wife needed to sit down so we got on the water bus at San Toma and went all the way round the GC. I rode in a gondola years ago. It was interesting to see how the gondolier expertly navigated his boat. At night, in a hotel on the Grand Canal, my husband, daughter and I could hear the gondoliers singing romantic Italian songs for the tourists.

I t is very crowded there and I was holding my board with legs hanging over the edge above the water. I was having a lot of trouble getting the shape of the gondola and the decorative metals correct and drew and erased and drew and… Finally I was satisfied and began to paint.

One of the gondoliers, an elderly gentleman, kept looking at my work from time to time. Nearly finished I was packing up. He asked if I wanted a ride? He took me on a marvelous tour of the canals free. I sent him a print of the painting with his boat after I returned home.

What a beautiful day. I would attach the painting if I could. Sheila Parsons. Tomorrow, i am ordering the book about the Mona Lisa. I have been to Italy and enjoyed the country and people very much.

You write very well, and your descriptions make visualizing the scenes very easy. Thank you. Hi Laura,I found your extract very informative. A Brief History of the Venetian Gondola. A Brief History of the Venetian Gondola In the heyday of the Venetian Republic, some ten thousand gondolas transported dignitaries, merchants, and goods through the crowded canals and lagoons of the water-logged city.

Early Evidence The earliest documentary evidence of the Venetian gondola dates to , when the word gondolum is used in a letter from the Doge, Vitale Falier, to the people of Loreo. The Allure of the Gondola Not only Venetians but also foreign visitors must have been impressed by these distinctive boats, since printmakers such as the Swiss artist Joseph Heinz the Younger and the Dutch author and statesman Nicolaes Witsens disseminated views of the gondola in woodcut prints and engravings that made their way across Europe.

The Rules of Gondola-Making From the beginning, members of the boat-making guilds abided by a set of strict social codes as well as an impressive body of written rules called the mariregole.

Have you taken a Venetian gondola ride? Drop a comment below. I love to hear your stories! Related Posts. Travel Tips. By Denise Cavallarin. What to see.

This is one of the reasons they have remained such a strong cultural icon of Venice. Gondolas have an asymmetrical design and weight to allow for the gondolier to stand to one side at the back to row. This is why gondolas are custom made for each gondolier — to ensure that the boat is balanced with their body. They act as a counterweight to the gondolier at the back of the boat. The island of Giudecca is represented by a tooth shaped ornamentation that sticks out backwards towards the body of the boat.