Our Gondola Ride In The Floating World Of Venice

After Bob and I completed our walking tour of the Rialto Markets, we thought it high time we hire a gondola.  Who could pass on a dreamy gondola ride on Grand Canal?  It was such an iconic thing to do when in Venice, Italy.

There are numerous stations around Venice where one can arrange passage on a gondola.  From Campo Erberia, Bob and I had only to walk a short distance to Rialto Bridge where we found a canopied kiosk with gondoliers waiting for clients.

Rialto Bridge is the oldest of the four bridges crossing Grand Canal.  We would be passing below Rialto Bridge and then returning to the same station when our ride was finished.  Bob invested 40 euros for a 40 minute ride.

Gondoliers own and maintain their own boats.  Stefano was the gondolier’s name, piloting his gondola named Antonia.

Setting off along Grand Canal was going to give us a totally different perspective on the historic buildings and culture of Venice.

Within minutes, the gondolier was guiding the gondola past the Rialto Fish Market that we had explored earlier that morning.  It is the building with the red awnings.

When Ca’ d’Oro Palace came into view, amply illuminated by midday sunshine, it literally glowed.

Ca’ d’Oro Palace is a building that has had several different names.  In English, it is called House of Gold because originally the structure was adorned with gold highlights and featured multi-coloured external decorations.

Now called the Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca’ d’Oro, this art museum is regarded as the best surviving palace featuring Venetian Gothic architecture.  It was magnificent to behold!

Bob and I were mesmerized by the rhythmic rocking of the gondola and the measured motions of Stefano’s rowing.  Propelling the gondola with one single oar is quite the art.  Stefano simply rested his oar on the curves of a forcola, the oarlock.  Its unique shape facilitates the necessary side-to-side motions that allow for precise maneuvering.  This technique is referred to as sculling.

Bob and I had noticed different types of gondolas crossing Grand Canal.  These pared-down versions are called traghettos.

Traghettos are gondolas used to ferry people back and forth across the Canal.  They can carry up to 10 passengers, lack the luxury of brocaded seats and bow decoration and require two gondoliers.

The skills of gondoliers are passed down from father to son.  It is not for the feint of heart to wield a simple wooden oar when competing against speedboats, water taxis and vaporettos on the canals of Venice.  They are literal highways full of traffic as you see in our video below.

It was quite daunting sitting at water level with all the work boats, bus boats, barges and such passing by within a few feet, their engines throbbing and spewing out nasty fumes.  We were grateful for the constant breeze that carried the noxious fumes away leaving us to enjoy the experience.

It was interesting to see a private residence overlooking Grand Canal.  With their own slip to secure a boat and a balcony from which to observe the goings-on, it looked like the ideal spot to live.

Piloting a gondola on the expansive Grand Canal is one thing, but cramped quarters on some of the secondary canals makes navigation a real challenge.

When walking the streets of Venice one evening, Bob and I were quite amazed at the deftness of the gondoliers to negotiate such tight spaces.

The pleasure of riding in a gondola soon came to an end for Bob and me as we once again approached Rialto Bridge.

I was assisted across the passerelle, the gangplank from the gondola to shore, by a gondolier waiting at the station, while Bob managed handily to balance and keep his feet dry until he reached solid ground.

Rialto Hotel stands proudly on the opposite side of the Grand Canal from the gondola station where we disembarked.  It was then time for Bob and me to do a walking tour though chances were good that we would get wet.  The sky had grown grey and heavy with rain, but thankfully, the weather had not impacted our dreamy gondola ride on Grand Canal.

Frame to Frame – Bob and Jean