ROW VENETIAN STYLE

depot—created at the beginning of the 12th century) were employed to conquer Croatia, Greece, Constantinople, Crete, and Cyprus.

While the fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797 rapidly provoked the decline of ship construction, the making of lagoon boats has continued to the present day. For most tourists, any rowing boat in the canals of Venice is simply a gondola, but if you stop to observe the rowing traffic in any of Venice’s busy canals, you’ll discover quite of variety of boats that differ in shape, size, colors, and number of rowers skimming across the Lagoon surface, just as they have for centuries.

You will also notice that in all the Lagoon row boats (gondola, sandolo, s’ciopon, batella, caorlina…), the rower stands up facing forward so that he can see ahead in the intricate maze of the canals. following traditional traffic rules that came in use with the founding of the city itself:

Regulations stipulate that unlike roadway traffic, all boats must hold to the left, to allow enough water space for the stern oar, which propels as well as navigates, to work freely when two boats pass. Also, a boat going a contraria (against the current) must yield to boats going a seconda (with the tide current), lifting the oar out of the water if needed to make way.

Also, it is customary to shout out before making a turn: Oy! Ahoy! Each of these guttural cries (incomprehensible to the newcomer…) have a precise meaning, announcing presence and intended direction around blind corners, they help avoid accidents—but also create an aural ambience unique to this water city. O-oy!