'Dark days' for Venice gondola makersGondola builders at the Roberto Dei Rossi boatyard in VenicVENICE - Already under threat, Venice's traditional gondola shipyards now lie silent apart from the gentle sound of canal water lapping at their doorsteps. "Venice without gondolas is dark and meaningless," said Roberto Dei Rossi, one of the few remaining traditional carpenters who build the long black boats. The 58-year-old crafts between four and five gondolas a year by hand, each one taking some 400 hours to make. The bulk of the fleet now glides along the canals of Venice, punted by some 400 gondoliers. It has been particularly hard for the Tramontin shipyard, the oldest workshop still active in Venice.

Source: Bangkok Post May 29, 2020 03:22 UTC