Gondolas might be the most recognisable boat in the world. But not many, not even Venetians, know what an incredible piece of engineering it is; there is certainly skill in steering it but it pales to that required to building one, which takes about 500 hours, rather a long time considering a gondola’s life-span is of only 20 years. Squero is the Venetian shipyard where gondolas are built, this is definitely the most famous, the Squero of san Trovaso; it is one of the few surviving historical squeri in Venice and surely the most visible and visited. The building looks more like a mountain hut, and for good reason. Remember that Venice did not have much wood available in its surroundings and would often import it from mountainous regions, where merchants might easily have drawn a sketch of the house exteriors there, which have evidently found their way back here.
