The "Fruit Crate Gondola"

In the few days before and after New Years Eve, 
it seems everybody is talking about all of the things that happened in 2017.
Lots of global politics and major national stories have gotten plenty of attention. And I understand the need for that, 
but there's so much other stuff to talk about.
As for me, I don't want to cover any of the subjects that everyone else has already hashed out.
Chances are they've done a better job than I would anyway.

Instead, I want to talk about...the "Fruit Crate Gondola!"

You heard me correctly.
A guy named Angelo Boscolo built a gondola, a real gondola, 
using the wood of 350 fruit boxes from the Rialto market in Venezia. 

According to this article in Nuova Venezia 
(someone who gave this story the attention it deserved),
On the day of the Madonna della Salute, Mr. Boscolo launched it in the Grand Canal. This is not his first adventure as a "do-it-yourself master carpenter" - in the past he also built a pupparino using the "benches" of the San Giacometto market and a "zero kilometer bragozzetto", as he calls it, with artichoke boxes - but he has certainly completed his biggest adventure: to create a real gondola.
 "Actually it is 30 centimeters shorter and according to tradition it should be made with 9 types of wood", explains Angelo Boscolo, a few minutes before the launch, "I used ten of them, those of the fruit boxes that friends gave me."  
The gondola of the "Cantiere dei burloni", as it is impressed in the trasto, with another very Venetian motto: 
"Who knows how quiet, who does not know how to ask, 
El mona already knows everything". 

I am hoping that I can see, and maybe row this unique gondola the next time I'm in Venice.

If you can, check out the videos on the Nuova Venezia website.
http://nuovavenezia.gelocal.it/venezia/cronaca/2017/11/21/news/venezia-la-gondola-di-di-angelo-costruita-con-350-cassetta-di-frutta-1.16145894?refresh_ce

Ten Years of the Gondola Blog!

photos by Nereo Zane

Ten years ago today,
I stepped off of a gondola,
and sat down to write my very first blog entry here.
A decade has passed, and as of now there are 2,800 posts on the Gondola Blog.
I didn't expect it to happen.

As some of you already know, the Gondola Blog started as a short-term web journal that was to follow the preparation and progress of a gondola expedition down the Hudson River in New York.

I was excited about this adventure, and thought it would be a shame not to write about it and post photos as we made our way from the state capitol of Albany, all the way down to Ground Zero in Manhattan.

The gondola arrives in Albany, New York

 

 A proud arrival in Manhattan

We covered 150 miles in six days on my gondola The Phoenix,
rowing in tribute to the "Fallen Heroes of 9/11".
The memories, and experiences were invaluable,
and thanks to Nereo Zane - so were the photos.

John Kerschbaum of Gondola Romantica, Chris Harrison of Gondola Adventures in Texas and I represented the US, while three legendary Venetians rounded out our six man team.
Chris, John and I were lucky enough to row with Vittorio Orio, Bepi Suste, and Enzo Lizska - who were all in their sixties, and rowed circles around us. 
We learned a lot about rowing that week.

Group shot at Ground Zero

After the expedition, I posted photos and wrote about various details and experiences on and around the Hudson River.
My thinking was that eventually I'd run out of expedition content,
and cap it off with a nice closing post.

But there were other stories to tell,
and a wealth of photos that begged to be posted.

Several friends encouraged me to keep writing.
Again, I thought
"I'll just keep posting until I run out of things to write about".

Ten years have gone by, and there are still stories to tell,
still photos to post, and thanks to the efforts of some friends in Providence and Huntington Harbour - there are some fantastic events to report on.

Friends in Boston, Minnesota, Coronado, and New Orleans have sent great photos and content.
More recently Oxnard, Lake Tahoe and Gig Harbor have seen new operations launch on their waters, and those boat owners have allowed me to post about their servizios.

In the last ten years, I've been blessed with so many new friends in and around this crazy, romantic, unusual business.
I've lost a few as well - my rowing coach Arturo Moruccio and most rerecently, expedition rower Enzo Lizska passed away earlier this year.

In the last ten years the gondola world has changed.
several operations have opened, dozens of new boats have been launched in various locations, and a few servizios have closed or relocated.

As of this writing there are thirty gondola operations in the United States, with dozens of Venice-built boats, and lots of US-built craft as well.
We have an annual competition called the US Gondola Nationals, which has strengthened friendships among gondoliers all over the country. 
This annual event has also changed the way so many of us look at rowing, and has turbocharged our enthusiasm.

Of course there are so many other places around the world where gondolas or similar boats are operated, and then there's Venice herself.

With all of this and so much more to write about,
I have kept going with the Gondola Blog.
I owe each and every one of you a debt of gratitude for reading,
contributing, and commenting.
Every day I am thankful to have fallen into this unique business,
and there is nothing I would rather do.

The Gondola Blog is ten years old today.
Here's to many more great years on the water for all of us.

Feeling Nostalgic - Day Four

photo by Nereo Zane

I suppose I could package this under a "Throwback Thursday" theme,
but the truth is that I spotted this photo,
sat and stared at it for a long time,
and decided to post it.

After all that, I realized it was Thursday.
The truth is, I'm just feeling nostalgic.

This image takes me back to one of my very favorite times.
It was taken in October of 2007 during an expedition down the Hudson River.
It was a six day expedition, covering 150 miles, from Albany to Manhattan.
We covered 25 miles per day.
This shot was taken on Day Four.
The gondola: my boat The Phoenix - built by Thom Price in Squero Bonaldo.

There were six team members in all - four rowing at a time.
Here we see, from bow to stern:
Bepi Suste - Venetian rowing champion,
Enzo Liszka - expedition rowing expert from Venice,
John Kerschbaum - gondola owner and operator from Minnesota,
and captaining the boat, the famous Vittorio Orio.
The three Venetians are legendary rowers.
Vittorio and Enzo have completed several gondola expeditions,
including the first ever crossing of the English Channel by gondola.

Nereo Zane (our staff photographer - among other things) took the photo,
while Chris Harrison of Texas drove the chase boat.
I probably had my head in a map at the time,
as I was the planner and navigator.

More complete bios (as of the time of the 2007 expedition)
can be found in my post:
The Team

If you've been following the Gondola Blog for a long time,
then most of this isn't news.
It was this expedition, after all, that prompted me to start the blog.

It was a huge honor to be part of the team on this expedition,
and I will always have fond memories of that week in the fall
on the Hudson River in New York.

-------------------------------------

To learn more about the expedition, just click back to the beginning of the Gondola Blog, or use the search bar with the word "Hudson".

Nolite Oblivisci - Never Forget

Over the years I've done my best to bring you fresh content 

and new photos (and sometimes newly-found ones).

I don't like to repeat myself or use the same images unless it's warranted.

Today it is.

Today we commemorate a moment in time that unexpectedly
changed the world.

It's a "where were you when...?" point in our history.

Many may try to forget, or wish they could forget,
but we must never forget the events of September 11th, 2001.

By events, I'm not just talking about the terrorism and tragedies.

We must also remember the heroics, the sacrifices, the selfless acts
carried out by fire and police personnel as well as everyday people.

We must remember how we felt and to never
allow this to happen again - to us or others.

I believe that people are truly at their best...
                                           when circumstances are the worst.

I will never forget the sight of Congress, all of them, with all of their political differences, standing on the steps of the Capitol building (probably for the very first time) in full agreement.

I remember hearing the phrase "We are all New Yorkers now".

Sure, I remember the tragedy.

I will never forget the horror.

But I also remember the unity, the resolve,
and the brotherhood that followed.

As people, as groups, as nations - we need to love each other more.

As Americans - we need to protect our home.

As free-thinking human beings - we must also do our all to keep this kind of tragedy from happening to others, no matter where they live.

We must remember it all: the bad and the good.

"Nolite Oblivisci"

We must never forget.

How to Identify a Hard Working Gondolier - Part 1

While thumbing through some photos, I came across a picture of one of my favorite people in all of gondola-dom: Megan Sliger. 
There she was, rowing along the Esplanade in Boston's Charles River. 
Her striped shirt and straw hat were perfect.
Then I noticed something "imperfect": dirty knees.
My first thought wasn't a criticism.
I thought about how I try to keep the knees of my pants clean.
But there are some nights when you've just got to say to yourself:
"I know I just washed these pants, but to heck with it",
and you drop to your knees just minutes before the passengers show up, and clean the floor of the boat.
Not like Cinderella,
More like Mr. T in the A-Team,
right before he welds together a gattling gun.

So today's post is dedicated to all the hard-working gondoliers out there.
I thought I'd assemble just a few attributes of a hard-working gondolier, but I didn't know where to stop. 
I ended up with more than I could include in one post.
What began as an idea for a single post, appears to be well on the way to having three parts.
As always, I welcome additional input from my friends out there.
We have six attributes to consider this time.
We'll begin with Megan as she inspired this list.

A hard-working gondolier sometimes ends up with dirty knees.

photo by Mark J. Hunt

Because there always seems to be some reason to compromise a perfectly clean pair of pants to create the ultimate experience for our passengers.

He can handle a little traffic.

Whether it's gondolas or other boats, a gondolier who is worthy of the trade, doesn't shy away from some close-quarters challenges,
and can handle the boat flawlessly.
This photo was part of the post "S. Moisè - Gondolier Conversation".

A hard-working gondolier's got calloused hands from all that rowing.

photo by Nereo Zane

These are the hands that can also be relied on to open jars, crush cans, and perform all sorts of other tasks.
They are the hands that intimidate men with softer palms.
Just a handshake with a gondolier can communicate volumes.
This photo was taken by Nereo Zane during the 2007 expedition down the Hudson River. 
The photo first appeared in the blog post "Hands".
The hands belong to Chris Harrison (left) and Bepi Suste (right).
Chris has tough hands, no doubt, but Bepi's,
Well, let's just say that they are easily "Chuck Norris approved"

36 feet of canvas doesn't scare him.

The work's gotta get done.
Plus, a beautiful boat like the ones we are lucky enough to row,
deserves to be covered - no matter how tired we may be.
Minnesota gondolier John Kerschbaum rolling the cover of the "Lucia" before a cruise in Newport Beach, California.
This photo was part of "And the Beat Goes On".

He doesn't waste time with chit-chat.
He's so busy that he's used to having conversations with co-workers on the water, and one-armed rowing is second nature.

Hard-working gondoliers don't always have time to just sit around and gossip.
They "catch up" on the water.
In this photo we see John Synco and Ignacio Villanueva having a short exchange while passing each other in opposite directions.
From the post "The Conversation".

He's not afraid to do a little swimming.

photo by Nereo Zane

Sometimes it's not just a matter of getting your knees dirty.
Sometimes you've got to fully commit.
Take the plunge.
There's a problem with your boat, or your remo (like it's floating away),
or someone needs rescuing.
And then sometimes you get wet unintentionally.
The post "What to do when you're the captain of a 14 man boat and you fall overboard during Vogalonga" contains the above image and many others, of a guy who went in the drink.
Let's hope he didn't drink any of it. 

Hard-working gondoliers are among us.
They set an example, make their families proud,
and other gondoliers take notice.
Part 2 is on the way.
And of course I'm open to suggestions.

"C-Day"

Welcome to Columbus Day amici.

My Italian father-in-law says:
"There are two kinds of people - Italians and those who wish they were"
Regardless of which type you are, Columbus Day is worthy of celebration.

Two years ago this holiday became much more significant to me, as I was lucky enough to be one of the gondoliers riding down 5th Avenue in the Columbus Day Parade in New York City.

Thanks to Nereo Zane and his Nikon, here are a few photos from the event.

The banner hanging from the gondola trailer.

Chris Harrison in his trademark black Stetson, Bepi Suste looks on.

Me and my daughters.

John Kerschbaum with hat and rock-hard triceps.

Vittorio Orio talks with retired NYC firefighter Vincent Tummino of the International Columbia Association.

A rare photo of Nereo Zane with Italian flags, Enzo Liszka is in the background on the right.

Hudson River Gondola Expedition - Looking Back Two Years Later

Two years ago today, after six days and 150 miles of rowing, a Venetian gondola showed up in Manhattan having been rowed from Albany.

The expedition was an amazing experience for all involved, and served a more-than-worthy cause: supporting the "Fallen Heroes of 9-11".

Hundreds of great photos were taken by Nereo Zane, who followed the row and was an integral part of everything that happened.

Here are some images captured during that week, two years ago:

Yucking it up the day before taking off,

Bepi Suste, Enzo Liszka, and Greg Mohr on board the gondola with Ed Larvia - Dock Manager of the Albany Yacht Club.

A striking comparison of the hands of Chris Harrison (left) and Bepi Suste (right) in the Marlboro Yacht Club at the end of Day Three.

Bepi, Enzo, Chris and Vittorio rowed into the fog of Haverstraw Bay on Day Five.

Bepi, Enzo, Greg and Vittorio arrived in New York Harbor on Day Six to the FDNY welcome of fireboat "John McKean" who's spray created a rainbow in the sun.

Nereo's photos, along with English and Italian commentary, are available in a terrific book titled "Nolite Oblivisci" -

for more information, see this post.

IMAGES OF THE EXPEDITION - Vittorio Raises the Flag

photo by Nereo ZaneOn the morning of October 6th last year, Vittorio Orio climbed out onto the end of the Phoenix with determination, duct tape, and a small American flag.
It was windy and the gondola was bouncing around.
I watched while Vittorio secured that flag and managed to avoid falling into the Hudson.
It was a great moment captured by Nereo Zane and his Nikon camera.

IMAGES OF THE EXPEDITION - One Year Later

One year ago today, John Kerschbaum, Chris Harrison, and I were rowing down the Hudson River with Venetians Enzo Liszka, Bepi Suste, and the legendary Vittorio Orio, with Nereo Zane shooting amazing photos the whole time.

It's been a year now, and I've spent the past week looking back on it with a big smile.
John Kerschbaum called me the other day just to ask the question: "hey, what were you doing last year at this time?", and I, in turn left the same message for Chris.
Many warm greetings have been sent back and forth between us and the three Venetians by way of Nereo.

I've determined that:
when my life flashes before my eyes one day,
there'll be a whole chapter dedicated to that week.

It truly was "the time of our lives".

Nolite Oblivisci - the book

For photographer Nereo Zane, the dream of publishing his own book became a reality this week.
Nereo was the official photographer of the 2007 Hudson River Gondola Expedition. He was always there to catch the action, often while bouncing around on a tiny chase-boat.
It's one thing to take pictures of a moving boat, but to shoot them from another moving boat brings it to a whole new level.
During the expedition, Nereo shot thousands of images, creating a visual diary of what happened on that adventure.

A package arrived on my doorstep last week - all the way from Padova, Italy.
I knew Nereo had been working on a book, and I knew that the package was likely to arrive soon, but I was still blown away by the final product.
Forty-two high-resolution photographs are accompanied by commentary in both Italian and English. Some of the images have been seen here on the gondolablog in low-res., but many more have never been posted or published anywhere before.
The commentaries offer unique insight into what the expedition was like: day-by-day, experience-by-experience.
At 7x7, the book is of sensible size - small enough to carry around, and big enough to place on a coffee table or the corner of a desk.
A limited number of copies are available for sale through Gondola Adventures, Inc. for the published price plus shipping from Italy (€3.00) and to you.
The published price of the book is €13.00, so the price in US dollars may vary based on the exchange rate.
As of this writing it comes out to roughly $20.47 according to www.xe.com. The exact exchange rate will be determined at time of purchase.

If you are interested, you may reply to this post or e-mail me directly at: greg@gondola.com

A Christmas card from Minnesota

I just opened my mail today and found a pleasant surprise: a Christmas card from John Kerschbaum of Gondolas on St. Croix in Minnesota. It's not the first year I've received one from John, but this one is different.

As many of you may know, John was part of the Hudson River Expedition which means he was captured on film many times by Nereo Zane. I am a big fan of Nereo's work, and I've mentioned in previous posts, that I have my favorites from the expedition. John just happened to choose my all time favorite photo: the one we've been calling "the Hawaii Five-O shot" - so named because it reminded some people of one of those outrigger canoes riding the surf. It's similar to the current header photo here on the Gondola Blog, but the bow is higher. John was one of the lucky ones rowing on the day of the big rolling swells that made for such great photos.

Merry Christmas John, your Christmas card ROCKS!

John Kerschbaum's website is:

http://www.gondolaromantica.com/

IMAGES OF THE EXPEDITION - My Other Job

photo by Nereo Zane

On the Hudson River Expedition, we all did many things to keep things on-track. My wife and I shared the duty of driving the van. Imagine a vehicle full of chatty gondoliers, some of whom are Italian. Loud conversations, in two languages, with lots of hand gestures and boisterous laughter. Sometimes it was hard to concentrate on the road ahead.

IMAGES OF THE EXPEDITION - the "Rainbow Shot"

Here's a shot from Day 6. After we crossed under the George Washington Bridge, we were welcomed by fireboats from New York and New Jersey. The sun had just managed to burn off the morning fog and we were beginning to see the skyscrapers of Manhattan. The “John D. McKean”, a gigantic fireboat from FDNY provided a grand water display, which came within inches of soaking us a few times. This shot was taken as the sun and spray combined to make a rainbow seemingly right above the gondola. I have many favorite photos from the expedition, but this is definately in my top five.

IMAGES OF THE EXPEDITION - A View from the Chase Boat

A view from the chase boat on the morning of Day 2 as we left Athens.
Nereo bundled and wrapped the red canvas gondola cover; when we laid it across the bow it made a great wind-break.
You can see the morning dew that hadn't burned off from yet from the sunshine.
In a fit of compulsiveness, I had to flemish the line on deck. She's not a yacht but she served us well and deserved to be treated as such.
Why isn't there a gondola in view?
I'll tell you why: because on the morning of Day 2 - just like every morning - the three Venetians took off like greyhounds. Each morning it was a challenge to keep up with the gondola because whoever was rowing wanted to cover as many miles as possible in case the wind kicked up.

IMAGES OF THE EXPEDITION - Leaving Marlboro

This was shot on the morning of Day 4 as we were leaving the yacht club in Marlboro.

The day I hit my stride

We had a great time on the Hudson River Expedition. Each member of the team has highlights to share; one of mine comes from Day 4. I had a good conversation the night before with Vittorio about how I could further improve my stroke. I cannot stress enough, just how lucky I was to row with Vittorio, Enzo and Bepi – they are among the best in the world…and very patient. Vittorio’s counsel was that I had good footing and great form, but that it was time to start pushing harder with each stroke. I recently took a crash-course in fencing and learned that footwork is everything to a fencer; once you get the footwork down, then you can start swinging that sword around. From what I’ve learned in Venetian rowing, I can tell you that footing is of equal importance.

The next day, when I stepped into the gondola, I had one goal: to push hard enough that everyone on board would notice a difference. This would require me to “reinvent” my stroke a bit, to evaluate each aspect of the way I’d been rowing up to that point. We rowed for a while in the narrow portion of the river just north of West Point. A few spectator boats came up alongside the gondola to take photos, and, as is common when boats go by and cameras come out – Bepi went nuts. He’s a very competitive guy and we all learned quickly that usually when another boat goes by, it’s time to race. Next, we rowed to the Bear Mountain Bridge with the bells of West Point chiming. This section of the row was, in a word, idyllic; a perfect moment that seemed to stretch for miles.

We took a break about 500 yards from the Bear Mountain Bridge. This is an impressive bridge, in fact according to The Hudson River water Trail Guide by Ian H. Giddy, “When the bridge opened in 1924 its 1,632 foot span was longest of its kind in the world, beating the previous record holder, the Williamsburg Bridge by 32 feet.”
Carrying US Route 6 and US Route 202, the Bear Mountain Bridge is one of the more photographed bridges on the Hudson.

After our break we started down-river and while passing under the bridge, we heard, and eventually spotted a guy way up at the base of the roadway where the bridge meets land. He was singing something that sounded like O Sole Mio.
Leaving the bridge behind us, the pace among the rowers quickened. The wind conditions were favorable and I was rowing hard. Bepi sensed this and increased the power. With the benefit of hindsight I’m still not sure if it was his way of saying “ok, now that you’ve found your stroke, let’s have some fun”, or “oh yeah? Let’s see what’cha got, kid”. We rowed for miles at this hot-and-heavy pace. Looking back at the charts and times that night, I realized that in this stretch of river we were averaging over 6 miles per hour (4 was standard for this group). I had hit my stride by changing the way I followed Bepi’s rhythm and by concentrating on a longer stroke.
As we got about a half mile from the Peekskill Yacht Club, it became a sprint to the finish.
Bepi had established an aggressive stroke at a fast pace and was shouting “LUNGA!” (long – as in longer strokes).
From there it just got faster and more powerful until, about 80 yards before entering the Yacht Club marina (the obvious mental finish line for all of us), when I felt like my arms would explode, but kept rowing. A hundred feet from the end, Bepi shouted “A LA MORTE!”, meaning “to the death” (a phrase often jokingly used by the team).
We careened into the marina and executed a fast stop, known as a “schiare” as club members and support staff watched in amusement.

There have been times in my rowing career that I can pinpoint as moments of change where I can look back and say “that’s when it happened”. For years I’ve gratefully credited Mark O’Brien, Angelino Sandri, Nereo Zane, and the late Arturo Moruccio for facilitating these moments. Now I thank the three Venetians on the team for another moment of change.

IMAGES OF THE EXPEDITION – final remo raising

As the gondola pushed away from the dock in Albany for the last time, Vittorio shouted “In alzo i remi!” – a command to raise the oars. Raising of the oars, or “remi” is a way to salute someone. When gondolas and other Venetian craft pass the judges stand in the Regata Storica, they salute by raising the remi. When we were rowing off Manhattan, the FDNY fireboat gave a grand display, with water shooting in all directions, Vittorio responded by telling us “In alzo i remi!”

IMAGES OF THE EXPEDITION – Vinny and Vittorio after the parade

If you followed the 2007 expedition down the Hudson River, or if you’ve been through the gondolablog a few times, you know that the man in the striped shirt here is Vittorio Orio. The man on the left with the red, white and green sash is another “unsung hero” of our expedition. His name is Vincent Tummino and he was instrumental in so many ways. “Vinny”, as we call him, is a retired FDNY firefighter with over 36 years of active service and is the current president of the International Columbia Association
(see http://www.internationalcolumbia.com/).

Why is Vinny an unsung hero?

He helped me plan things logistically,

interfaced with city authorities,

picked up Vittorio, Enzo and Bepi from JFK airport and brought them up to Albany,

transported the gondola trailer back down to the NYC area,

found a place to store it for a week,

organized and hosted the ceremony at Ground Zero,

arranged the towing of the gondola to Staten Island,

hauled her out on trailer,

got us a spot in the Columbus Day Parade,

provided a tow vehicle for the parade,

got me in touch with Staten Island Towing Service,

and brought the gondola to Staten Island Towing so she could be placed in the truck for her ride home to California.

Vinny also handled lodging for some of the team while in the NYC area and handled many other things I can’t think of right now – probably because I didn’t have to think about them.

For these and many other contributions, I speak for the team when I say “thanks Vinny, we couldn’t have done it without you”.

IMAGES OF THE EXPEDITION - The Blessing

One of the “small things” on my list was having a blessing before the team departed on October 1st. As things got crazy during the days leading up to that day, I found myself more and more drawn to my faith. It seemed like there was always some task going on that I would be silently praying over, quite often as I was doing the task. I don’t see this blog as a soapbox to preach my beliefs from, but it seems fitting to mention such things in a post about the blessing. In many ways, leading this expedition brought me closer to God. When Father LeFever showed up on the morning of October 1st, I had closure. I knew that his blessing was the last thing we needed to do before we took to the river. And as we raised our oars and the blessing began, it wasn’t one of the “small things” anymore.

Father Lefever delivers his blessing.

The team members each shake hands with Father LeFever.

Gondolier's Shoes

“Gondolier’s shoes”, this got my attention. I knew about all the other things worn by gondoliers; the striped shirts, the black pants, the sailor-collared over-shirts which vary from black to white depending on the time of year. Hats? Yes, got a bunch of ‘em, but I had never heard about a particular shoe being chosen. I must give credit where it’s due: El Felze – a wonderful group of people in Venice are responsible for making me aware of the shoes. El Felze is a group who meet in and around Venice; they are mostly involved with gondolas, the gondola trade, and the preservation of other things which are trademark Venetian. I had the good fortune of attending two El Felze meetings when I was in Venice in September of 2006; one at the Café Florian, the other at the famous Squero Tramontin. It was so great to be in a room filled with people as enthusiastic about gondolas as I am (I’m used to being the “weird one” in the crowd who has a one-track mind for gondolas). Before my trip to Venice, I had read a lot about El Felze and checked out their literature. Under “caleghèri” I first read about the traditional Venetian shoe craftsmen, and by the time I was packing for the trip, I had determined that I would not bring any black shoes because no matter what it took – I had to have a pair of those “Gondolier’s shoes”.

On my first full day in Venice, my good friend Nereo Zane and I went hunting for the caleghèri I had read about. Nereo is a Venetian who grew up in the area and currently lives in Padova so I felt I had an edge. It wasn’t easy finding parking in Mestre, the industrial city on the mainland that we were in, but when we found Sergio Segalin, we were not disappointed. Mr Segalin is exactly the kind of guy you’d want to buy handmade shoes from in Italy: older and wiser, but seemingly younger in spirit than most. He gives an air of remarkable expertise while still being quick with a wink or a smile. In short, Sergio Segalin is all the things that are great about old men in Italy. I can only guess that Americans would be a bit more sanguine if we spent more time enjoying wine with friends and focusing on family.

Enough about the man, let’s talk about the shoes. While Venetian caleghèri have been crafting shoes for centuries, the “gondolier’s shoe” or “funzionale” as it is called, has been a recent incarnation. The Funzionale is functional, just as the name indicates; this shoe, while good looking and dressy, is designed with function in mind. As I understand it, these were not intended specifically for gondoliers but rather as a comfortable walking shoe for Venetians. The first thing I noticed as I was trying on various pairs; was the weight – these things were about as light as a pair of flip-flops you might wear to the beach in California. When I commented on the weight, to Sergio, he picked one up and twisted it up in his hands – something I wouldn’t, and probably couldn’t do with most shoes – then he let go and the shoe just went back to its original shape without even any sign of stress on the leather. As if he knew what I was thinking, he mentioned that this shoe is a good choice for travel because it’s lightweight and packs well. I have since, brought mine on two business trips and they are definitely up to the task. The look of the shoe is Italian while remaining a bit conservative; perfect for wearing on the gondola, or with a suit. I have actually performed a dozen or so wedding ceremonies in both suit and captain’s uniform in my “Gondolier’s shoes”. The leather is remarkably soft and the soles are made of a non-skid rubber, so, unlike regular dress shoes with leather soles, these won’t betray you on a wet deck. No wonder gondoliers have adopted this “comfortable walking shoe” as their footwear of choice.

At one El Felze meeting I sat next to Saverio Pastor – the well-known remo and forcola maker. Saverio is the President of El Felze. I noticed that he had on a pair of blue ones with the El Felze logo embroidered on the top.

I ran into Mr. Segalin a few times in my travels in Venice and it was always a warm “Oh, hey, how have you been?” type of encounter, as if meeting an old friend. Sergio Segalin: a great guy who makes really great shoes.

If you happen to be in Venice and want to find Segalin, the contact info is on El Felze’s website http://www.elfelze.org