The gondola is the symbol of Venice: while the lagoon boat was the object of an in-depth study, the gondoliers were always considered as a residual and marginal reality.

The figure of the gondolier comes into view only when the structure of the gondola perfects itself and distances itself from the other types of boats. The simple boatman specialises and becomes the gondolier, which means master of rowing. The works of Carlo Goldoni and Giacinto Gallino contributed to the process of legitimization of the gondolier job after introducing the figure of Gondolier de casada in their stories, which are private gondoliers and confidence men of the noble families of the Serenissima.

The gondolier profession survived until today, but it didn’t remain the same, in fact it changed in different ways in the course of history. The gondolier job was born as a poor job, which was passed from father to the first son. The gondoliers worked only for a season, while in winter they did other jobs. It was a tiring job because of the bad weather conditions. Today the gondolier job is quite different: the tourism lays down the market rules, so many gondoliers decided to collaborate with agencies, which can guarantee a steady job. Despite the criticism, every gondolier remains an individual and a free reality, even though there are many internal rules and schemes. The freedom is the best aspect of the job, but also it is the main weakness: the community is fractioned.

The gondolier is an essential figure of the Venice view: at the beginning it was fundamental for the communication net of the city, nowadays it is essential for the tourism, which is the main source of Venice.

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