Symbol of the city of Venice, the gondola is a precious piece of work crafted in only a handful of boatyards. The Tramontin boatyard was founded in 1884 by Domenico Tramontin, handed down by Roberto until 2018, the year when he died, and run today by his daughters, Elena and Elisabetta.
Supplier to the Royal House, the Prefecture and today the City of Venice, Master Roberto Tramontin revolutionised how the hull of the gondola was built. The bottom of the boat was widened at the stern in order to counterbalance the significant weight of gondoliers of the time. The topside was raised to create a broader curve, giving elegance to the vessel. His competitors quickly adopted these design innovations as well, for which he was often considered the Enzo Ferrari of boating.
Roberto Tramontin bequeathed his secrets of craft to his daughters: his unit of measure “Venetian foot”, in use since the 1400s, as it is more appropriate to the size and proportions of the gondola, the selection of the wood in relation to the function, the mastering of all the working techniques, the tools of the ancient tradition: the axe, plane, saw and hammer.
The wood is shaped by soaking it in water and then heating it over a fire. The line of the stern of each gondola is designed for the weight of the gondolier who will own the boat.
Today, the boatyard Tramontin not only crafts authentic gondolas but also restores historic vintage gondolas, such as the gondola owned by the poet Robert Browning, which is the oldest surviving gondola in the world.
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