Gondola

In modern times, the boats still do have a role in public transport in the city, serving as traghetti (small ferries) over the Grand Canal operated by two oarsmen.

[3] There are approximately 400 licensed gondoliers in Venice and a similar number of boats, down from the thousands that travelled the canals centuries ago.

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.

[8][9]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)).

[13] 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.

They are made of 280 hand-made pieces using eight types of wood (lime, oak, mahogany, walnut, cherry, fir, larch and elm).

The ornament on the front of the boat is called the fèrro (meaning iron) and can be made from brass, stainless steel, or aluminium.

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.

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 Voga alla Veneta.

The profession of gondolier is controlled by a guild, which issues a limited number of licenses (approximately 400),[21] granted after periods of training (400 hours over six months) and apprenticeship, and a major comprehensive exam[22] which tests knowledge of Venetian history and landmarks, foreign language skills, and practical skills in handling the gondola.

[31] The annual U.S. Gondola Nationals competitions have been held since 2011,[31] and feature American Gondoliers competing in sprints and slalom races,[30] Mark Twain visited Venice in the summer of 1867.

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.
A gondola ride
La Riva by John Singer Sargent
A gondola on the Grand Canal
Gondolas on the Grand Canal
Gondolas at Santi Giovanni e Paolo in a painting by Michele Marieschi
Traghetti; by 2017, only three remained in Venice.
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.
Gondolas at their moorings
Photo from around 1900 showing gondolas with 5 teeth on their "fero", showing that these do not symbolize the 6 sestieri.
5-toothed fero on old gondolas
Gondolier
Gondoliers plying their craft in a narrow canal
On the Grand Canal
Gondola on the Providence River , Rhode Island
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.