Venice - Italy - page 328

Local activities include cycling on the Lido, or getting involved with one of the
boating regattas staged during the rowing season; the non-competitive Vogalonga
Regatta is held in May and has been one of the highlights of the Venetian calen-
dar for over 3 decades. Just imagine being on one of the 1,500 man-powered boats
that race out of St. Mark's Basin to remind Venetians of the continuing problem
generated by the increasing number of engine-powered boats. Boats of every con-
ceivable variety, shape, and size (as long as they can be rowed by humans, rather
than powered by motors) gather in the waters opposite the entrance to the Doge's
Palace; they then set off on a course that's roughly 30km (19 miles) in length,
winding between a number of the lagoon islands and back to the Punta della
Dogana via the Rio di Cannaregio. Most of the competitors belong to the local
rowing clubs, but the number of foreign participants has been increasing steadily
over the years; the regatta allows participants a unique opportunity to explore the
lagoon and the city in a whole new way, all the while enjoying the spirited excite-
ment of racing (but not really competing) against rowers and fun-lovers who
include gondoliers, hard-training sportsmen, and locals in love with the city. To
register for the event, visit www.vogalonga.it , where you'll also find links to row-
ing clubs that will help you find a vessel you can use for the event.
You can also let someone else do the rowing—a female gondolier, to be spe-
cific. Alex Hai came to Venice and fell in love. Not only with the city but also
with the gondola. For years, Alex studied and practiced the art of the gondolier,
and finally qualified for the stringent exams that protect the ancient craft.
Unfortunately, gondoliers are nearly always Venetian-born, and certainly always
male. Alex is neither, being a foreigner and a woman. While the rule book does
not officially discriminate against women, the traditionalist men who control the
examining body simply changed the rules each time Alex sat for the examination,
and so she was repeatedly made to fail, a brutish political move that was to ensure
that no woman ever again dare to covet the life of a gondolier.
But Alex persisted, and in July 2005, I attended a party to celebrate the immi-
nent launch of her own gondola. She had earlier told me that she would take her
gondola to the canals even if it took her the rest of her life. The good news is that
Alex has achieved her dream, and is now available to travelers seeking a very dif-
ferent gondola experience. Alex is determined to bring romance back to what
has become a hard-driving business. If you're keen to do it, Alex will also allow
you to try your hand at steering the gondola, so you can grasp the difficulty of
handling something that seems so marvelously simple, and her rides will take you
to unexpected corners of the city. You can contact Alex directly, through her
Association, Incantesimo Veneziano ( % 348-3029067; [e-mail]).
The ancient art of gondola-building is dying, and the demand for the black-
lacquered craft so intimately associated with Venice now far outstrips the ability
of the few remaining master builders to supply them. Thom Price came from
North Carolina a few years back, hoping to learn the boat-building technique as
part of his college training; instead he opened his own building yard, and now
actually runs courses in the basics of gondola building.
The opportunity to spend time in a real squero (boatyard) is unique.
Workshops last 1-week and include demonstration courses for a thorough under-
standing of how gondolas are made and how they operate; there are even lessons
in Venetian rowing, so this is not just for those of you who are handy with a power