Gondole all'Americana

For centuries the secrets of gondola-building have been jealously guarded by an elite band of Venetian craftsmen. Their monopoly is now being challenged by an upstart American.

Thom Price, 32, from North Carolina, has become the first foreigner to open a squero or gondola-making yard in the city. His arrival has provoked scorn from locals, unable to believe anyone from outside Venice could master the esoteric art traditionally handed down from father to son.

Price, who studied anthropology and boat-building, has long been fascinated by gondolas. But when he arrived in Venice in 1996 seeking an apprenticeship with a boat maker he was met with disbelief. “They were polite,” he said. “But the whole thing was too weird for them to contemplate.” Several months later he was about to give up when he met Daniele Bonaldo, a cantankerous semi-retired maestro. After seeing pictures of the flat- bottomed boats Price had made in America Bonaldo, who had no son, agreed to take him on.

Price made his first gondola under Bonaldo’s supervision in about six months. It was followed by six more — all of which went to cities in America where they ferry tourists around local waterways. After working as a guest in Bonaldo’s squero for several years, Price began looking for his own premises. He eventually found a deserted yard and named it Squero Canaletto — after a painting of the building by the 18th-century artist.

Price’s basic 34ft vessel costs £17,000; a top-of-the-range model with cherrywood carving, brass sea horses, velvet curtains for privacy and gilding can easily fetch double that. To the horror of purists, he is also introducing “improvements” — such as making boats stronger by using two pieces of wood rather than three, and bronze rather than iron nails.

“The Venetian way is to build boats fast and strong, without worrying about the quality of the joinery,” Price said. “Then they cover it all up with paint and stucco to make it look nice. My approach is slower to concentrate on quality.”

Posted by David on March 23, 2003 3:52 PM