How to Become a Gondolier: Venice

Look closely at the gondola to the back.
The prow shows the Venetian flag.

Venice. The city of romance. And the city of those gondoliers. How does one get to be a gondolier? It's not as easy as donning a black and white stripped shirt and building up your bi & triceps.

1. First of all, it's expensive and competitive. Only 425 licenses are granted. Each license costs 700,00 euros.
2. Then you must join the gondolier guild.
3. Because it's such a tight-knit community, licenses are generally passed down from father to son. If no son exists, then the license may be sold. Not until 2010 had a woman ever been a gondolier. Giorgia Boscolo broke the glass gondola ceiling.
4. To become one, the man must attend 400 hours of instruction and pass  navigational and physical tests.
5. Gondolas must be black. At the prow of each gondola is a silver flag representing the six districts of Venice. Five prongs of the flag point forward, one back, this rear-facing prong represents the island of Giudecca. This, more or less represents the geographical layout of the districts.

In Love on the Grand Canal

English: Venice: Italy: 1913 map of city center (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I wouldn't leave Italy without achieving three tickets on my bucket list. The first: a gondola ride on the Grand Canal. And what a grand time we had.

The Grand Canal is Venice's major waterway and it divides the city in two. It looks like an upside down S making the east and west side look like two hands grabbing each other. (See the illustration to the left).

The glory of this canal is the splendid buildings lining either side--from gorgeous cathedrals like the Church of the Scalzi to the Rialto Bridge to mundane, everyday homes.

We boarded our gondola on some backwater alleyway (literally) just off the Piazza San Marco, and sailed down the Cannaregio Canal. While marveling at the glories of Venice, and accordion player and singer regaled us with quintessential Italian folk songs: "Amore," "Ciao Venezia," "O Sola Mia," and more.

Neil and I could cuddle with gondolier in the back of us, the muscians to the front and crowds of tourists staring in envy from the myriad bridges.

We didn't sail as far north as the Rialto Bridge--but that was a sight. It's the oldest of the bridges spaning the Grand Canal. It hosts twenty-four shops, has upper floors overlooking the canal.

Magnificent.

The full day in Venice held more than this blog could tell: wonderful food, shops with glorious wares, glass factory, masks celebrating the Carnivale--just like the Mardi Gras. I need to return.

Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute

The Grand Canal

Neil LOVED the ride

Love on the Grand Canal

a balcony along the canal

Our serenade