Squero di San Trovaso
Alpine-style timber boatyard where gondolas are hand built and repaired using centuries-old woodworking methods.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to the Squero di San Trovaso in Venice explains why this working gondola yard looks like an Alpine chalet dropped onto a canal, tracing it back to the mountain carpenters of Cadore who built it their own way in the sixteen hundreds. It walks through how a gondola is still shaped by hand today from eight different woods, each chosen for strength, flex, color or weight, and the centuries-old law behind its uniform black paint. Stand across the narrow canal for the best view of the ramps and workshop.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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