Sandolo Sighting

 

Wandering around Venice, you never know what you'll see

as you turn corners and cross bridges. 

At one point I stepped onto a small bridge overlooking a canal

and noticed this sandolo cruising my way. 

 

Like their gondola cousins, sandoli are traditionally rowed by one person,

with one oar, off the right side at the back of the boat.

 

Because they are shorter and have a lower clearance

(there's no ferro up front or raised tail in the back),

sandoli are uniquely suited to exploring the tight canals of La Serenissima,

and can even go places that most gondoliers won't take their boats.

 

Looking down the centerline of the boat,

we see a bit of that familiar Venetian asymmetry.

 

And like the iconic gondolas, many passenger sandoli are not only

painted black, but have nearly all of the same types of trim and decoration.

 

Arm-pieces with brass cavalla, ropes with pom-poms,

floorboards painted on a theme color with scallops between the frames,

this sandolo even has a scimier

(that decoration that rests at the top of the backrest of the seat).

I love the gondola.
She is an amazing boat.
And I love being in Venice where I am seemingly surrounded by them.

But now and then you see one of these unique little gems and you realize
that there are many other amazing boats in Venice.