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{{Short description|Type of boat}}
{{About|a means of water transport|other meanings|Gondola (disambiguation)}}
{{Redirect|Gondolier}}

[[File:Gondola Ride.jpg|alt=A black-and-white photo of what appears to be a cool, gray day. Four people, indistinct, sit in the middle of a long, thin boat, the gondola, moving to the right. High on the stern (left) stands a man with both hands on a long oar, which disappears into the water to his rear and slightly to his right. In the distant background, across the calm water, the buildings of Venice can be made out, standing in the mist.|thumb|A gondola ride]]
The '''gondola''' ({{IPAc-en|lang|ˈ|ɡ|ɒ|n|d|ə|l|ə}}, {{IPA|it|ˈɡondola|lang}}; {{langx|vec|góndoła}}, {{IPA|vec|ˈɡoŋdoɰa|lang}}) is a traditional, [[Flat-bottomed boat|flat-bottomed]] [[Venice|Venetian]] [[watercraft rowing|rowing]] [[boat]], well suited to the conditions of the [[Venetian lagoon]]. It is typically propelled by a gondolier, who uses a rowing [[oar]], which is not fastened to the [[Hull (watercraft)|hull]], in a [[Stern sculling|sculling]] manner, and also acts as the [[rudder]].<ref name="Le barche">{{cite web|title=Le barche|url=http://www.comune.venezia.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/3397|work=Città di Venezia|access-date=12 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100303172720/http://www.comune.venezia.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/3397|archive-date=3 March 2010}}</ref> The uniqueness of the gondola includes its being asymmetrical along the length, making the single-oar propulsion more efficient.

For centuries, the gondola was a major means of transportation and the most common watercraft within [[Venice]]. In modern times, the boats still do have a role in public transport in the city, serving as ''traghetti'' (small [[Ferry|ferries]]) over the [[Grand Canal (Venice)|Grand Canal]] operated by two oarsmen.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hanley |first=Anne |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/italy/veneto/venice/articles/venice-attractions/|title=The best things to do in Venice |work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |date=25 June 2020}}</ref>

Various types of gondola boats are also used in special [[regatta]]s (rowing races) held amongst gondoliers. Their primary role today, however, is to carry tourists on rides at fixed rates.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gondolavenezia.it/history_tariffe.asp|title=The Gondola, its history and useness|work=gondolavenezia.it}}</ref> There are approximately 400 licensed gondoliers in Venice and a similar number of boats, down from the thousands that travelled the canals centuries ago.<ref name="ricksteves.com">{{cite web|last=Openshaw |first=Gene |url=https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/the-gondolas-of-venice|title=The Gondolas of Venice — Rick Steves' Europe |website=www.ricksteves.com}}</ref> However, they are now elegantly crafted, as opposed to the various types of homemade boats of the past.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.intltravelnews.com/node/13237|title=Italy, France, Belgium & Netherlands in 2017 - International Travel News|website=www.intltravelnews.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Beltramello |first=Barbara |title=The Gondola Maker – Hakai Magazine |url=https://www.hakaimagazine.com/video/gondola-maker |date=11 May 2017}}</ref>

==History and usage==
[[File:Brooklyn Museum - La Riva - John Singer Sargent.jpg|thumb|left|''La Riva'' by [[John Singer Sargent]]]]
The gondola is propelled by a person (the gondolier) who stands on the stern facing the bow and rows with a forward stroke, followed by a compensating backward stroke. The oar rests in an elaborately carved wooden rest (''forcola'') shaped to project from the side of the craft so as to allow the slight drag of each  return stroke to pull the [[Bow (watercraft)|bow]] back to its forward course.<ref>{{cite book|last=Heyl |first=Norbert |title=Venice master artisans|date=2003|publisher=Vianello|location=Ponzano|isbn=9788872001165|pages=131–2|chapter=Rowing on the Lagoon|display-authors=etal}}</ref> Because of the vessel's flat bottom it may also be "drifted" sideways when required.<ref name="Le barche" /> Contrary to popular belief, the gondola is never poled like a [[punt (boat)|punt]] as the waters of Venice are too deep. Until the early 20th century, as many photographs attest, gondolas were often fitted with a "felze", a small cabin, to protect the passengers from the weather or from onlookers. Its windows could be closed with louvered shutters—the original "[[Venetian blinds]]".<ref>{{cite web|last=Burgan |first=Rebecca |title=The Sordid Voyage of the Venetian Gondola |url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-sordid-voyage-of-the-venetian-gondola |date=14 October 2014 |publisher=Atlas Obscura}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Baker |first=Nicholson |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1998/06/15/grab-me-a-gondola |title=Grab Me A Gondola |date=8 June 1998 |magazine=The New Yorker}}</ref>[[File:Venice Gondola Grand Canal.jpg|thumb|A gondola on the [[Grand Canal (Venice)|Grand Canal]]]]

After the elimination of the traditional felze—possibly in response to tourists' complaining that it blocked the view—there survived for some decades a kind of vestigial summer awning, known as the "tendalin" (these can be seen on gondolas as late as the mid-1950s, in the film ''[[Summertime (1955 film)|Summertime]]'' (1955)).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://italiannotes.com/gondola-facts/ |title=Gondola facts – 10 interesting facts about Venetian gondolas |date=6 March 2013}}</ref> While in previous centuries gondolas could be many different colors, a [[sumptuary law]] of Venice required that gondolas should be painted black, and they are customarily so painted now.<ref name="ricksteves.com"/>

The gondola has existed in Venice since the 11th century, being first mentioned by name in 1094.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Italy|last=Belford |first=Ros |isbn=9780241311820|page=84 |oclc=1056628518|date = September 2018}}</ref> It is estimated that there were eight to ten thousand gondolas during the 17th and 18th century, but there are only around four hundred in active service today, with virtually all of them used for hire by tourists.  Those few that are in private ownership are either hired out to Venetians for weddings or used for racing.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Davis, R. |author2=Marvin, G.|title=Venice, the Tourist Maze|pages=133–59}}</ref> Even though the gondola, by now, has become a widely publicized icon of Venice, in the times of the [[Republic of Venice]] it was by far not the only means of transportation; on the map of Venice created by [[Jacopo de' Barbari]] in 1500, only a fraction of the boats are gondolas, the majority of boats are {{not a typo|batellas}}, {{not a typo|caorlinas}}, galleys, and other boats. Now, only a handful of batellas survive, and {{not a typo|caorlinas}} are used for racing only.<!--{{citation needed |date=February 2017}}--><ref>{{cite news|date=January–February 2021|last= Cerullo|first=Bob|title=Traghetto |newspaper=Long Island Boating World|location=New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey|publisher=River and Sound Publishing |url-status=live|access-date=June 29, 2023|url=https://liboatingworld.com/traghetto/|archive-date=January 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120203411/https://liboatingworld.com/traghetto/ }}</ref>

[[File:Gondola Gondola.jpg|thumb|Gondolas on the [[Grand Canal (Venice)|Grand Canal]]]]
[[File:Albotto, Francesco; Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo 001.jpg|thumb|Gondolas at [[Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice|Santi Giovanni e Paolo]] in a painting by [[Michele Marieschi]]]]

[[File:Traghetti - foot passenger gondolas.jpg|thumb|Traghetti; by 2017, only three remained in Venice.]]
The historical gondola was quite different from its modern evolution; the paintings of Canaletto and others show a much lower prow, a higher "ferro", and usually two rowers. The banana-shaped modern gondola was developed only in the 19th century by the boat-builder Tramontin, whose heirs still run the Tramontin boatyard.<ref name="reuters.com">{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-gondolas-idUSBRE99L0GH20131022|title=Venice gondola builders strive to keep tradition alive|date=22 October 2013|newspaper=Reuters}}</ref> The construction of the gondola continued to evolve until the mid-20th century, when the city government prohibited any further modifications.

In the 1500s an estimated 10,000 gondolas of all types were in Venice; in 1878 an estimated 4000 and now approximately 400.<ref>{{cite news|last=Beltramello |first=Barbara |title=The Gondola Maker|url=https://www.hakaimagazine.com/video/gondola-maker|access-date=27 June 2017|work=[[Hakai Magazine]]|date=11 May 2017}}</ref>

The origin of the word "gondola" has never been satisfactorily established, despite many theories.<ref>{{cite news|last=Jepson |first=Tim |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/italy/venice/738294/The-history-and-origins-of-the-gondola.html |title=The history and origins of the gondola |work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |date=16 September 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.innvenice.com/en.Gondola.htm |title=Gondola in Venice |website=www.innvenice.com}}</ref>

===Current design===

Today's gondola is up to 11 m long and 1.6 m wide, with a mass of 350&nbsp;kg. They are made of 280 hand-made pieces using eight types of wood (lime, oak, mahogany, walnut, cherry, fir, larch and elm). The process takes about two months; in 2013, the cost of a gondola was about 38,000 euros.<ref name="reuters.com"/><ref name="italoamericano.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.italoamericano.org/story/2017-3-16/venice-gondala-secrets |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170508155153/http://www.italoamericano.org/story/2017-3-16/venice-gondala-secrets |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 8, 2017 |title=Decoding Venice's iconic gondolas |date=16 March 2017}}</ref> The oar or ''rèmo'' is held in an oarlock known as a ''[[fórcola]]''. The forcola is of a complicated shape, allowing several positions of the oar for slow forward rowing, powerful forward rowing, turning, slowing down, rowing backwards, and stopping. The ornament on the front of the boat is called the ''fèrro'' (meaning iron) and can be made from brass, stainless steel, or aluminium. It serves as decoration and as counterweight for the gondolier standing near the stern.
[[File:Gondola Mooring.jpg|alt=Black-and-white photo on a gray day. In the foreground, four long, narrow boats float side-by-side, left to right, each loosely moored to one of the four tall poles standing in the water (two to each side). Some 30 meters away, in the background, a further row of 15 or 16 gondolas can be seen similarly moored near a railed walkway on the far side. Buildings of Venice appear as distant shadows in the mist.|thumb|Gondolas at their moorings]]
[[File:Ferri_da_gondola.jpg|alt=Photo from around 1900 showing gondolas with 5 teeth on their "fero", showing that these do not symbolize the 6 sestieri.|thumb|upright=0.5|5-toothed fero on old gondolas]]
According to a popular urban legend with no factual basis, every detail of the gondola has its own symbolism. The iron prow-head of the gondola, called "fero da prorà" or "dolfin", is needed to balance the weight of the gondolier at the stern and has an "[[Ƨ]]" shape symbolic of the twists in the Canal Grande. Under the main blade there is a kind of comb with six teeth or prongs ("rebbi") pointing forward standing for the six districts or "[[sestieri]]" of Venice (however, this is contradicted by the fact that old photographs and paintings show gondolas with 4 or 5 teeth). A kind of tooth juts out backwards toward the centre of the gondola symbolises the island of Giudecca. The curved top signifies the Doge's cap. The semi-circular break between the curved top and the six teeth is said to represent the Rialto Bridge. Sometimes three friezes can be seen in-between the six prongs, indicating the three main islands of the city: Murano, Burano and Torcello.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://venicewiki.org/wiki/Venetian_Gondola |title=Venetian Gondola |work=venicewiki.org|date=8 January 2023 }}</ref><ref name="italoamericano.org"/> This symbolism is likely influenced by the need to explain the shape to tourists, rather than the shape being influenced by those symbols, as they are not mentioned in any writings about the gondola prior to the current evolution of the shape of the Fero.

The gondola is also one of the vessels typically used in both ceremonial and competitive regattas, rowing races held amongst gondoliers using the technique of [[Watercraft rowing|Voga alla Veneta]].

==Gondolieri==
During their heyday as a means of public transports, teams of four men would share ownership of a gondola{{snd}} three oarsmen (''gondoliers'') and a fourth person, primarily shore-based and responsible for the booking and administration of the gondola (''Il Rosso Riserva'').

However, as the gondolas became more of a tourist attraction than a mode of public transport all but one of these cooperatives and their offices have closed. The category is now protected by the Institution for the Protection and Conservation of Gondolas and Gondoliers,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gondolavenezia.it/homeng.asp |title=Official Gondola Site |work=gondolavenezia.it}}</ref> headquartered in the historical center of Venice.

[[File:Gondolier on the Grand Canal, Venice, Italy.jpg|thumb|Gondolier]]

The profession of gondolier is controlled by a guild, which issues a limited number of licenses (approximately 400),<ref name="auto">{{cite magazine|last=Ross |first=Winston |url=https://www.newsweek.com/2015/05/15/merchants-are-killing-venice-324987.html |title=The Merchants Are Killing Venice |date=25 April 2015|website=Newsweek}}</ref> granted after periods of training (400 hours over six months) and apprenticeship, and a major comprehensive exam<ref>{{cite news|last=Machan |first=Teresa |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/italy/venice/738293/Gondolier-course-in-Venice-stick-your-oar-in.html |title=Gondolier course in Venice: stick your oar in |work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]}}</ref> which tests knowledge of Venetian history and landmarks, foreign language skills, and practical skills in handling the gondola.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.italiangoodnews.com/a-gondolier-a-symbol-of-venice/ |title=A gondolier – a symbol of Venice |website=Italian Good News |date=4 October 2016 |archive-date=14 September 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170914092546/http://www.italiangoodnews.com/a-gondolier-a-symbol-of-venice/ }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Luciano |first=Ferraro |title=Bocciata all' esame di gondoliera: "Solo perche' donna" |url=http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/1999/luglio/23/Bocciata_all_esame_gondoliera_Solo_co_0_9907234242.shtml |newspaper=[[Corriere della Sera]] |page=14 |language=it |date=23 July 1999 |archive-date=28 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028015849/http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/1999/luglio/23/Bocciata_all_esame_gondoliera_Solo_co_0_9907234242.shtml }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Pisa |first=Nick |title=Just one trained woman: Venice finally gets its first female gondolier |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/7945750/Just-one-trained-woman-Venice-finally-gets-its-first-female-gondolier.html |work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |date=14 August 2010}}</ref> Such skills are necessary in the tight spaces of Venetian canals. Gondoliers dress in a blue or red striped top, red neckerchief, wide-brimmed straw hat and dark pants.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2016/aug/11/the-right-stripes-how-fashion-fell-for-the-gondolier|title=The right stripes: how fashion fell for the gondolier |first=Morwenna |last=Ferrier |date=11 August 2016 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> A gondolier can earn the equivalent of up to US$150,000 per year.<ref name="auto"/>

[[File:View from the Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri), Venice Italy.jpg|thumb|Gondoliers plying their craft in a narrow canal]]

[[File:Gondola convoy, Grand Canal, Venice.jpg|thumb|On the Grand Canal]]

In August 2010, Giorgia Boscolo became Venice's first fully licensed female gondolier.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-10976450|title=First lady joins official ranks of Venice's gondoliers |work=BBC News |date=15 August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Cole |first=Teresa Levonian |url=https://www.ft.com/content/62396240-8eb0-11e5-8be4-3506bf20cc2b?mhq5j=e1 |title=How Venice's first female gondolier rocked the boat |work=Financial Times |date=27 November 2015 |access-date=17 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/jun/29/venice-female-gondolier-patriarchy-canal |title=Patriarchy on the canal: why is there only one female gondolier in Venice? |first=Angela |last=Giuffrida |date=29 June 2017 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>

==Outside of Venice==
[[File:Gondola on the Providence River in Providence, Rhode Island.jpg|thumb|right|Gondola on the [[Providence River]], Rhode Island]]
The umbrella organization [https://civv-info.org/ Comitato Internationale di Voga Veneta (CIVV)] networks almost a dozen rowing clubs across Europe and the US which offer Venetian rowing recreationally. Member clubs row on the [[Main (river)|Main]] river in Germany, the [[Thames]] in Oxford, the [[Erdre]] and the [[Seine]] in France, and through the canals of Amsterdam. CIVV organizes a yearly regatta, usually raced in a sandalo or a mascaretta. 

There are about a half dozen cities in the United States where gondolas are operated as tourist attractions, including [[New Orleans]], the [[Charles River]] in Boston, Stillwater (Minnesota), New York's [[Central Park]], and the [[Providence River]] in Rhode Island,<ref name=ProJo /> as well as several in California.<ref name="US-Nationals" /> The annual ''U.S. Gondola Nationals'' competitions have been held since 2011,<ref name="US-Nationals">{{cite news |last=Patinkin |first=Mark |title=Providence gondoliers training to compete — and host U.S. Nationals |url=https://www.providencejournal.com/news/20181023/providence-gondoliers-training-to-compete---and-host-us-nationals |access-date=6 October 2019 |publisher=The Providence Journal |date=23 October 2018}}</ref> and feature American Gondoliers competing in sprints and slalom races,<ref name=ProJo>{{cite news |last=Patinkin |first=Mark |title=Mark Patinkin: A touch of Venice in Providence on a gondola |url=https://www.providencejournal.com/features/entertainment/content/20140820-mark-patinkin-a-touch-of-venice-in-providence-on-a-gondola.ece |access-date=6 October 2019 |work=[[The Providence Journal]] |date=20 August 2014}}</ref>

== References in literature and history ==
[[File:Gagarin gondolas.JPG|thumb|''Gondola Races on the Grand Canal of Venice'', by [[Grigory Gagarin]] (1830s) "Gondolinos, a slimmer and light-weight version of the gondola, were built for racing and elegant outings.]]
[[Mark Twain]] visited Venice in the summer of 1867. He dedicated much of ''[[The Innocents Abroad]]'', chapter 23, to describing the curiosity of urban life with gondolas and gondoliers.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/mark-twain/about-twain/ |title=Mark Twain: A Tramp Abroad 1871-1901 |work=[[pbs.org]] |access-date=15 March 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100620115115/http://www.pbs.org/marktwain/scrapbook/07_tramp_abroad/page2.html |archive-date=20 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/t/twain/mark/innocents/chapter23.html |title=The Innocents Abroad, by Mark Twain: CHAPTER XXIII. |work=[[The University of Adelaide]] |access-date=15 March 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908054043/https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/t/twain/mark/innocents/chapter23.html |archive-date=8 September 2015}}</ref>

The first act of [[Gilbert and Sullivan]]'s two-act comic operetta ''[[The Gondoliers]]'' is set in Venice, and its two protagonists (as well as its men's chorus) are of the eponymous profession, even though the political irony that makes up the core of the piece has much more to do with British society than with Venice.<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://gsarchive.net/gondoliers/html/plot_sum.html |chapter=The Gondoliers Plot Summary |via=gsarchive.net |title=The Victor Book of the Opera |publisher=RCA Manufacturing Co. |location=Camden, NJ |year=1936}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Rower woman]]
*[[Rowing]]
*[[Sandolo]]
*[[Sculling]]
*[[Water taxi]]

== Notes ==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*[[Horatio Brown]], chapter "The Gondola" in ''[[Life on the Lagoons]]'' (1884 and later editions)
* Wooden Boat, The Venetian Gondola, April 1977. Penzo, Gilberto; La Gondola, 1999.

==External links==
{{Commons and category|Venetian boats|Gondolas (boat)}}
*[http://www.gondolavenezia.it/homeng.asp Official Venetian gondola site]
*[https://gondolieritravel.com/en/about-us/ Historical Gondolier Cooperative of Venice - Cooperativa Daniele Manin]
*[http://www.tramontingondole.it/ing-home.htm The Tramontin Gondola] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303221923/http://www.tramontingondole.it/ing-home.htm |date=2016-03-03 }}
*[http://venicegondola.com Venice Gondola]
*[https://medium.com/teatime-history/the-gondola-a-floating-symbol-of-venice-774a6f6582c2 The Gondola: The Floating Symbol of Venice]

{{Oared racing boats}}
{{Public transport}}
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[[Category:Human-powered watercraft]]
[[Category:Rowing boats]]
[[Category:Water transport in Venice]]