An interesting article from The Craftsmanship magazine, about gondola makers. Thought this might interest the Venice lovers here (and take our minds off the vaccine....
).
From the article :
"Of Venice’s four gondola makers, only two work at this craft full-time, Roberto being one of them. In the course of a 40-year career, he says he has made some 300 gondolas, spending 6 days a week measuring, sawing, sanding, lifting, hammering, calculating, recalculating. Each gondola, which costs between 50,000 to 100,000 euros (or $59,000 to $118,000) can require 400 hours of work, or between one and two months. “I make four to five each year,” he said; “you can’t do more.”
Even at that somewhat merciless rate, Roberto’s waiting list was always long—before the crisis struck you’d have had to wait two to two-and-a-half years for your boat. At this point, he says, he’s beginning to feel tired, even though he’s only 57."
).From the article :
"Of Venice’s four gondola makers, only two work at this craft full-time, Roberto being one of them. In the course of a 40-year career, he says he has made some 300 gondolas, spending 6 days a week measuring, sawing, sanding, lifting, hammering, calculating, recalculating. Each gondola, which costs between 50,000 to 100,000 euros (or $59,000 to $118,000) can require 400 hours of work, or between one and two months. “I make four to five each year,” he said; “you can’t do more.”
Even at that somewhat merciless rate, Roberto’s waiting list was always long—before the crisis struck you’d have had to wait two to two-and-a-half years for your boat. At this point, he says, he’s beginning to feel tired, even though he’s only 57."
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