Gondolas and gondoliers in Venice
gondolas and gondoliers in Venice @itravelinitaly_com The gondola is a very special boat. It is asymmetrical and can be operated with a single propeller oar. Measure m. 10.85 in length per m. 1.40 approximately in width. It weighs 350 kg. and is made up of about 280 pieces of wood of different nature. The iron of the prow of the gondolas, called 'fero da pròra' or 'dolfin', serves to balance the weight of the gondolier. Under the main blade it has a kind of comb formed by six teeth (prongs) which have the precise meaning of remembering the 'sestieri' (= six zones) with which Venice is divided. A tooth extends backwards (towards the center of the gondola) and indicates the island of Giudecca, separated from the homonymous canal from the other islands of Venice which form a compact nucleus. Sometimes three friezes are inserted between the six prongs that join the prongs two by two, indicating the three bridges over the Grand Canal: the Scalzi bridge (S
