Daily Life In Venice And The Lagoon

The 'gondolier' profession originated when Venetian aristocrats got into the habit of travelling in private gondolas, with their own permanent gondolier, with good pay and also called 'gondolier de casada'. So he became a sort of confidante, taking part in all the movements, including the most secret and hidden ones, and available at any time of day or night. Until not so long ago, the trade was passed on exclusively from father to son, forming a kind of 'caste'. A Gondolier on his boat in a canal in Venice. In Venice, Italy, September 2022. (Photo by Riccardo Fabi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)