Squero Venice: visit the home of the gondola!

Squero is the Venetian word to indicate the boatyard where something unique to Venice and its lagoon is created: the rowing boat of Venice – the venetian gondola! On this tour you can go right  into a gondola boat yard the squero di Venezia! You will absorb its characteristic atmosphere. You will meet the masters who work here and also learn how the skills to build the iconic boat have been handed down for generations. Find out how a typical gondola is built and all the secrets of this ancient trade!

Gondola boatyard Venice: Squero – the home of rowing boats

Have you ever wondered about the origins of the gondola? How a gondola is built? Why does it have its characteristic shape and colour? Who are the craftsmen that bring a gondola to life?

In this tour you will discover the answers to all of these questions!

The squero differs from a usual workshop in that it is open towards the canal on two sides. Work tools and everything else needed by the craftsman are in plain sight!

You can visit the craftsman’s workshop al squero, and be inspired by your guide, the shipwright! He is a man who has learned the secrets of the trade and passes them down skillfully to the other artisans. Visit this place where everything is made of wood, including oars and even rowlocks, fenced on two sides and facing towards the canal, to allow the launch of the most famous boat of Venice – the gondola!

This is a special place, one of those locations that tourists seldom visit. Here is where all the skills necessary for a gondola construction and repairs are learnt. And you will learn what happens too!

Visit a Venetian squero: see authentic activities of the Venice lagoon!

If you are looking for authentic Venetian experiences and unusual activities to do, then a trip to a gondola workshop is definitely an experience for you! Did you know that the shape of the gondolas and their typical black color were ordered by the municipality of Venice? The shape which was finally adopted was proposed by the very squero that you will visit on this trip! It is the oldest one of all, where the profession has been handed down for generations.

The visit lasts between 30 minutes and 45 minutes and is suitable for both adults and children. The mastercraftsman will guide you through the oldest Venetian squero and even give you a small practical demonstration! Feel free to ask him any questions, he will be happy to answer them!

The Squero of san Trovaso: the master craftsmen of the Zattere promenade!

The squeri are the famous workshops where gondolas are manufactured and undergo maintenance. Originally, most of the boatyards in Venice were all located on the Grand Canal, just to emphasise  their overriding importance to the city, but nowadays only two of them still exist in the center of Venice: San Trovaso and Tramontin.The Squero di San Trovaso is one of the squeri still working in Venice, located in the Zattere area, a few steps from the Giudecca Canal! A typical wooden construction covered by a sloping roof, is what you will see at first. Located behind the Church of San Trovaso, which houses a famous painting by Tintoretto, this squero is characterized by its unusual architecture, as it is an atypical shape. For the weekly visits, you will have the opportunity to visit San Trovaso squero. On Sunday, the visit is planned at Tramontin squero. 

Boatyard visit: the making of a Venetian gondola – book a tour online.

During this visit, you will enter the world of the famous Venetian gondola builders, who can build a customised boat for each gondolier, which are then used in the canals. This trade has disappeared almost everywhere else in the world, but it still remains very important in Venice. It is said that nowadays Venice has about 400 gondolas navigating its canals.

The visit will allow you to get to know the history of Venetian gondolas, and the traditions of the master boat builder. You will watch the craftsmen repairing a gondola, and they will show you how everything is made to fit together.

If you would like to learn more about different aspects of  Venice Gondola, follow these links:

• Venetian Gondola – how does a gondola come to life?
• Gondola Forcola – the carved oarlock
• Venice Gondolier – discover more about the man who row the gondolas!
• Gondola ride Venice – what you need to know for the best gondola tour