By: Ashley McHale
A trip to Venice would be incomplete without taking the time to ride a real, authentic gondola. The city is infused with waterways that give you the opportunity to gently flow through it and listen to a short history of how the buildings originated.
Riding a gondola with at least four people will be the best way to do it, so your driver can balance the weight and you will be able to divide the cost among a good number of people. The standard price of a ride during the busy summer season is about 100-150 euro for 45 minutes. An Italian student gave us some good advice and said that we should say another driver is giving us a better deal, that way you can bargain with them and get a lower rate.
Taking this advice my group and I were able to have a 45minute ride for 100 euro as opposed to 150 euro. Our driver, Andres, was soft spoken and welcoming reaching out for my hand to let me on his gondola with red love seats and black silk benches.
We sat and relaxed while he took us under the Bridge of Sighs, which was unfortunately under construction, and he told us how the bridge was the last thing for prisoners to see before they were incarcerated. He also mentioned how this is a long told legend as we glided past the dark prison with rod ironed windows and cracking brick walls.
One of my group members asked, “Aren’t you supposed to be singing?” Andres laughed and shook his head, “ You wouldn’t want me to do that,” he said. He then pointed out Marco Polo’s house and said hello to his fellow gondola drivers. The drivers wear the quintessential black and white stripe shirt, straw hat, a great tan and for the most part pearly white smiles. Their charm alone gives you good reason to commit to taking a ride.
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