This is the last of five posts on the Grand Canal in Venice and water transport, and it is about the gondola and water taxis. Click for Part 3 and Part 4 of the Grand Canal series.
For centuries the gondola was the chief means of transportation and most common vessel within Venice. There are just over four hundred in active service today, virtually all of them used for hire by tourists. They are essentially dressed-up water taxis.
While in previous centuries, gondolas could be many different colors. Now, all gondolas are supposed to be painted black.
Four passengers are about the maximum number of passengers that can be accomodated.
The gondolas still have a role in public transport in the city, serving as traghetti (ferries) over the Grand Canal. The service is offered only to residents and cost about 1-2 euros. I saw one operating in the morning ferrying commuters near the Rialto market.
The historical gondola was quite different usually having two rowers. The banana-shaped modern gondola was developed only in the 19th century and the construction continued to evolve until the mid-20th century, when the city government prohibited any further modifications.
Every detail of the gondola has its own symbolism. The iron head of the gondola, called “fero da prorà” or “dol fin“, is needed to balance the weight of the gondolier at the stern and has an “S” 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 “) standing for the six sestieri (districts) of Venice.
For some, one extra prong juts out backwards toward the centre of the gondola (see photo below), 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.
It is propelled by a gondolier and never poled like a punt as the waters of Venice are too deep.
The profession of gondolier is controlled by a guild, which issues a limited number of licenses (425) granted after periods of training and apprenticeship, and a major comprehensive exam which tests knowledge of history and landmarks, foreign language skills, and practical skills in handling the gondola typically necessary in the tight spaces of the canals. Here, he had to tilt the gondola and bent over sideways in order to squeeze beneath the bridge and then steer the boat tightly to turn right.
Gondola traffic jam is quite common. I presume there is no “one-way” canal in Venice.
The modern water taxis are essentially speed boats. They are just as popular as gondolas and can take more passengers.
This mini dock is essentially a taxi stand. See the pylons marked “TAXI”.
They run typically between the airport and a hotel in the city.
It is a bit pricy. But if there are several people, it is worth it simply for the thrill of speeding across the lagoon right after a flight to a hotel with its canal side entrance.
“Hit-and-Run” tourists or daytrippers used to arrive by cruise ship – much bigger than these river crusies (click here to see the scale of these ships relative to the monuments in the city). These mega ships apparently cause environmental problems for the city. There was also a warning from UNESCO that Venice was at risk of being put on the world heritage endangered list unless the gigantic vessels were permanently banned.
In July 2021, a ban of ships greater than 25,000 tonnes was declared. This news item on The Guardian tells the full story. If you missed the earlier posts in the Grand Canal series, here they are: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.