A chilly day for gondoliers. And, their clients!
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Hello World · Walk along with me
Hello World 
Just dropped by to say hello
As always Sheldon
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Great picture Yvonne.
On a recent visit to Boston I observed that some windows in the old brownstones had glass panes with a purplish tint that reminded me of the beautiful lamps in Venice. I learned that the purple color is due to an excess of manganese oxide. According to the story, the glass panes imported from Europe in the 1800s were clear but to the chagrin of the owners turned purple upon exposure to sunlight. Today they are a symbol of status. I wonder what the story behind the ones in Venice is.
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I’d never given a thought to the colour of the glass in the street lights, Daniel. Hmm, who might know? Maybe I can ask on Facebook.
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Do they ever show their legs?! 😉 😛
I just commented to your comment on my latest post. 😀
What a great photo! Love the looking-down shot! The colors! Very artistic!
I bet they talk about all the weird tourists they have to gondolier!
HUGS!!! 🙂
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No, their legs are always clad in long black trousers when they’re on the job. 😕 Sad but true. 😢
Hugs back to you, leg lady. 🙋
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Wonder if they commute by gondola.
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They probably live on the mainland and come in by bus, or train. Romantic, eh?
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It’s funny to think of them on a bus, sitting in their gondola outfit. 🙂
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They have a little boathouse where they can change clothes at the beginning and end of the day. If you go by at the right time, you might even catch them taking a shower with the hose on a hot day!
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Now, that I haven’t seen!
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I see! That makes sense. 🙂
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What a clever photo with the lamp mimicking the hats! Love the contrast of the verdigris lamp and the vibrant red of the trim on the straw boaters.
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Thank you for your comment, Susanne. Venice just cries out to photographers!
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You have to take you hat off to them, working in such cold. “Boaters” as we called those hats, were part of some secondary schools’ uniforms in NZ until it became compulsory for the kids to wear cycle helmets.
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They’re out in every kind of weather … hot, cold, calm, windy , raining i gatti e le carne!
Did you wear a boater as a lad?
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No – we had caps – with a little knob on the top that the boys from the “opposition” schools made it their aim to “deknob” our caps… All good fun…
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It sounds so exotic but I guess for them it’s just another day’s work.
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That’s for sure. When you see the flotillas of gondolas, each crammed with their 6 tourists, following the same flippin’ route day after day, it must be a real drag for the gondoliers. (Even though the money is good!)
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Do you think they noticed you? 🙂
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You mean when I leaned out, hollering “Yoo-hoo”, Sue? Nah, they never even looked. 🙂
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Haha 🙂
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Do Gondoliers still sing, like they always did n the movies?
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From time to time, you do hear one singing, and not just for the tourist trade. More typically, there’ll be a flock of gondolas, with a singer and maybe an accordion player, rending “Oh, sole mio”, which is not a Venetian song, at all!
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I know…O Sole Mio is Neapolitan, isn’t it?
The Gondoliers probably sing that one because the tourists request it…( and grease the palm, of course.) My partner, Mary, came from a long line of Sicilians and their way of saying “Go to hell,” was “vai a Napoli!”
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Those hats look as though they could have their own lives!!! My oh my.
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Aren’t they jaunty? Perhaps not so much in winter when the gondoliers resort to wearing beanies under them.
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The trim is radiant. It could be one of the rings of Saturn.
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Their uniforms are so recognisable, aren’t they?
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Yes, they’re luminous!
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It can’t be easy to be a gondolier. I wonder what they tell their wives after a hard day gondoliering. I suppose, they make the best of it, like we all do. Are there any female gondoliers?
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I don’t think it’s a very romantic job, especially when the teeming throngs descend upon Venice.
There is one official female gondolier and another who works for one of the posh hotels. I just noticed there are posts linked above the comments, featuring these two women.
Is it raining in your neighbourhood? It is here … hooray.
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Now lovely Yvonne, from which window or balcony did you perilously lean over to get this wonderful shot?
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I had a ring side seat from my 4th floor apartment! There was always something happening in the campo.
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