Venice is on the look out for new gondoliers to take on its centuries-old profession as the lagoon city is projected to see a record influx of tourists this year.
The job involves balancing on the edge of a gondola and rowing through Venice’s narrow canals, while guiding tourists through the city’s main sites.
But the application process to take on Venice’s 1,000-year-old profession is far from plain-sailing. Just the opposite – it’s long, competitive, multi-layered and costly.
The basic criteria includes being over the age of 18 and having gone to school until the age of 16 – the mandatory limit in Italy, and having a certificate proving one’s ability to swim.
According to an appeal by the city hall, aspiring gondoliers will then need to enrol in two courses – a theory and a practical one, which form the Arte del Gondoliere – or “Art of the Gondolier”.
But before candidates can even access the courses, they need to sit through a preselection round where they must demonstrate their abilities on board a gondola.
If they get selected, they will have to pay 400 euros (£341) for the 30-hour theory course, and 400 euros more for the 10-hour practical one.
The theory includes a study of Venice’s history, art and culture, an English language course and studying the city’s code of rules for its waterways.
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Tourists flip gondola while taking selfies
The practical course will see candidates learning the art of rowing the boat with a single oar under the guidance of a master gondolier before they sit an exam to demonstrate what they’ve learnt.
Those who attend at least 80% of each course and pass the practical test will become qualified gondoliers.
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With more than 30 million tourists expected to visit the iconic city this year, the demand for gondoliers – the number of which currently stands at 433 – is high.
But according to Andrea Balbi, the president of Venice’s gondoliers’ association, rather than being exclusively aimed at meeting tourists’ demand, the recruitment efforts are to ensure the legendary profession lives on.
“There’s a generational change: people retire and need to be replaced,” he told the Guardian. “So we do the training courses whenever there is a necessity.
“People who apply themselves to this profession do so because they are in love with Venice and are convinced that they are bringing forward the traditions of the gondola and the city.”
