A day with Venice On Board

Today I am inviting you to do a kind of adventure. If you have already tried traveling around Venice in vaporetto and you are starting to be a pro remembering some of the names of the main stops and copying Italian accent while saying „nexT stoP“, here is one thing for you.

As we know, Venice is a unique place, where beautiful antique boats called „gondola“ are still alive, thanks to a few craftsmen that are still producing them.

Thanks to gondoliers, there are individuals offering you „Gondola „gondola“ on the street, so to enjoy the ride for 30 minutes or more in enchanting canals of Venice. For those with a tight budget or tight time, you can take „traghetto“, which is gondola that only crosses one side of Canal Grande to the other, and you can take it not far from Rialto Bridge.

Gondola is perfectly suitable for rowing of one person, it has a slightly curvy shape, and even it is very long compared to the body of a person who is navigating it – ca 11 meters! , it is possible to slide with her in Venetian canals.

What I have discovered lately and I was so happy to learn about, is Venice On Board. I was honored to be their guest for one day, which gave me the possibility to observe their working space and to see which kind of „work and mission" these boys do.

Let´s start from a fairy – tale like story. 5 years ago, 3 friends decided to take a tradition seriously, and one day they opened their workshop, where they would reconstruct the old boats. Every one of them has a different „gift“ – one has the ideas, one is great in communication and the other is great in repairing of boats.

Of course, it is farther from a fairytale, but their story is quite powerful. Venice can be very tough, from autumn depressing, giving your head a lot of wind and often bringing you aqua alta.

To reconstruct old boats in Venice and to offer service of teaching rowing, it is a great business idea but it needed to go on step by step. As these friends were developing their skills, they were getting more boats reconstructed, so they could sell some of them. With saved money, they would go on in buying old and almost drowned pieces.

They kept teaching people of Venice and tourists how to row with their boats. If you see in Venice boats painted yellow, red, green, it is Venice On Board.

This was the same opportunity. I have visited their workshop full of wood, material, the atmosphere of exploration. I have met and saw them teaching rowing to visitors from abroad and sharing their wide skills and information about boats, waters of Venice and history of these old beautiful streets.

To see Venice from water is my favorite activity. It is highly enriching because you can see in the praxis how Venice is standing, how the salt is climbing its walls.

By taking class with Venice on Board, you would be able to try rowing by yourself, you can see different canals than those from vaporetto or gondola. You can experience calmer vibes of Canareggio ( because they have workshop there) and to observe Venice from different view than usual. What more. You are part of it. If you have kids, not a problem!

Rowing is perfect also for kids. Just on the boat, you would understand, how light these boats on the water are. It is possible to row also for kids ( look, I managed it too :) ).

If you have more days, you can take a more serious course and to really learn rowing, which of course takes more of a training and having time to enjoy it. We can take a closer look at the Venetian boats. You can notice an interesting piece of wood, that is placed more or less in the middle of the boat´s side. It almost looks like a wooden sculpture.

This piece is called „forcola“ and every boat has a different unique shape of it. It is produced regarding to „body type of rower/ gondolier, type of the boat“, it has to support different type of movement.

These boats are empowered only by human power, no motors, nothing else. Rowing and navigating of boats has its own language – for example right is stagando, left is premando.

You can also often hear „hoiiiii“, which is not because gondoliers have nothing to say, but serves as a klaxon, when turning in non- visible curves and behind the buildings. I am constantly trying to use this „sound“ but I am simply not catching the righ sound of it. Anyway, I keep saying Hoiiii anytime I am at gondola, which brings gondoliers and these rowing people a bit of laughter.

Nowadays, 3 friends that are formed in Venice on Board are busy with their work, happy to work on their boats and teaching locals and tourists how to row. I was told proudly that they are also teaching some sons of gondoliers, so that is a piece of good news.

We were talking about sentiment and reality of Venice. In the past, Venetian canals would have been cleaned and reconstructed.

This is not happening anymore in that wide and visible effect. When I asked Nicola, one of the „teachers“ and founders of Venice on Board, what does he think about tourists, the response was clear:

„ I love tourists. I love to travel myself anytime it is possible. If I have some money, I do travel. The only thing is, that every year all in Venice is more expensive which makes life less possible.

Our dream is to see in Venice more boats, more people that are rowing and simply travelling by smaller boats. Right now we are busy, so we would maybe one day also need more teachers of rowing ! "

While rowing in silent canals of Canareggio, we would pass around palaces, secret gardens, old squares or places where boats are being repaired, or produced. While passing in canals we could also see different types of boats. Nicola is greeting another boat clubs or gondoliers, they make a space for each other in canals. I see no rivalry. Most probably there is some competition, but all these people are connected by one matter- it is Venice.

Sliding on boat and enjoying moving around. This is truly way how to explore history and life of Venice of the past and its presence.

„Every boat had a different function. Like Caorlina – that was a boat that used to travel to Caorle to bring fruit every day. Now it is used for competitions. Gondolino – it is a kind of gondola, but smaller and faster, used for competitions. In September there is a huge competition on Canal Grande, everybody can watch it or attend, once in one of the clubs. "

The background of the boat- making. In the past, „Venice was one of the 1st places where most beautiful and elegant boats would have been produced. Everything had to be the „highest quality“.

The best quality and the most beautiful.

While passing around "parked"gondola, I was explained what are parts of the gondola, head of Gondola.

The more we know, the more we can explore. Even I have read about it, to see it in real and to observe it from closeup is one of the best ways how to be immersed in this magical location.

This was one of those days when I was able and really happy to see that ideas and courage have taken its place. Moreover, I saw young people, that are doing something that is in steps of the ancient tradition and they keep it alive, well and doable for everyone. It does not matter where are you from if you are a nerd, artist, harpist, blogger, policemen, professor of neuroscience, or kid. You can do that, and you will enjoy a lot.

See the option, classes and contacts here!

http://www.veniceonboard.it/en/

Thank you Venice On Board for this experience and may we see more of such a boats rescued and reconstructed, bringing life and culture to waters of Venice.

Photos and text by Karolinska 2019

Hospitality : Venice On Board

@veniceonboard

@structuresofvenice