Gondolier, a unique profession

The gondolier has become a somewhat folkloristic symbol of Venice. But it’s a unique profession that is closely related to the grandeur of a unique city.  

Waterways
Venice was built on water. The main ways were - and still are -  waterways.  As  Venice developed into the dominating trading power in the world, transport and logistics and so its gondoliers became ever more important.

Thousand years
Already in the eleventh century gondolier became a real profession, that went from father to son. To practice a permission of the city council was needed.

Good conduct
Prospective gondoliers often worked for at least ten years in apprenticeship of an experienced master before obtaining a permission themselves. Not only the skills to maneuver the gondola were required but also a prove of good conduct.

Private gondolier
Until the twentieth century every well off Venetian family had a private gondolier. Because of the daily and close contact with the family, he had a privileged position among the domestic staff.

Concorso
To become an official gondolier today, one needs to participate in a concorso pubblico of the municipality of Venice. The concorso consists of several practical and theoretical exams. It is held twice a year and the number of participants is always many times higher than the number of gondoliers needed.  

Female gondoliers
In 2003 for the first time a woman participated in the concorso. Last year three women participated. Only one female gondolier is actually working in Venice today.

Men's world

The participation of women encounters many protests of male colleagues. They state that the profession has been a men’s business for more than a thousand years and should stay like that.

Prices

There are almost 500 gondoliers in Venice. They now almost exclusively transport tourists. Prices are around 80 euros for 50 minutes.

Venice can be reached by train (Eurostar) from Milan Central Station in around 2,5 hours