Ingo knows the man!

A while back I wrote a blogpost entitled “Have you seen this man?”
It was a post about ganzers and the unique place they hold in some of the more traditional traghetti.
Well, to my surprise, German Gondolier Ingo Stahl knows the man!
His name is Silvio Sibbezzi, and he and Ingo are good friends. Silvio, who is now nearing 80 years old, was one of Ingo’s first teachers – in Leipzig, Germany.
According to Ingo, Mr. Sibezzi is a very good gondolier in pension, but he can’t let go. He travels often around the world but he needs the atmosphere of the gondola. Silvio’s son now works as a gondolier near the Hotel Bauer.
In this photo, taken by Ingo, you see Silvio on the left. The man next to him with the beard is the well-known regatta champion Franco Crea, who owns a very successful squero on the Giudecca. The other two gentlemen at the table are gondoliers from Leipzig, and I believe the empty chair belongs to Ingo. The photo was shot in July of 2001 in Leipzig at the litle river" Weiße Elster".
Great shot Ingo, and thanks for filling us in on the mystery ganzer.
Stay warm in Wörthsee.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen,
Greg