A fine craft

A fine craft

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A row of gondolas lies in a boatyard in Venice – the Italian city famous for these sleek black vessels which go whispering through its canals.

The boats bear the hallmarks of a tiny but proud group of artisans, striving to keep alive the traditional building methods for the floating city's most recognisable symbol.

. VENICE, Italy. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

Lorenzo Della Toffola works on part of a gondola at the San Trovaso boatyard, which produces one or two of the vessels each year using century-old techniques.

"We work in the old style. Everything is done by hand," the 48-year-old said.

Another Venice gondola builder, Roberto Tramontin, said he uses a few machine-cut parts to makes his boats, in addition to the old-fashioned methods. Even so, it takes two months to construct a gondola from 280 pieces of various wood including lime, oak, mahogany, walnut, cherry, fir, larch and elm, all adding up to a price tag of about 38,000 euros.

. VENICE, Italy. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

Each steered by a lone gondolier in a striped shirt and straw hat, the slender luxury vehicles offer a romantic setting for a serene cruise and, not uncommonly, a proposal of marriage.

There were some 7,000 gondolas in Venice about 700 years ago, according to gondoliers' association Ente Gondola, but their use as everyday transport has been supplanted by modern boats. The remaining 433 are now primarily a tourist attraction.

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Slideshow

The distinctive hats of Venetian gondoliers hang on a wall outside San Trovaso boatyard.
. VENICE, Italy. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

The distinctive hats of Venetian gondoliers hang on a wall outside San Trovaso boatyard.

The frame of a half-built gondola stands inside.
. VENICE, Italy. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

The frame of a half-built gondola stands inside.

A worker stands next to a partially crafted boat, wrought into the slightly asymmetrical banana shape that allows a single gondolier to propel it in a straight line.
. VENICE, Italy. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

A worker stands next to a partially crafted boat, wrought into the slightly asymmetrical banana shape that allows a single gondolier to propel it in a straight line.

A gondolier holds out an oar at the San Trovaso boatyard.
. VENICE, Italy. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

A gondolier holds out an oar at the San Trovaso boatyard.

The frame of a boat stands out against the crumbling walls of the workshop.
. VENICE, Italy. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

The frame of a boat stands out against the crumbling walls of the workshop.

Craftsman Lorenzo Della Toffola works on a gondola.
. VENICE, Italy. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

Craftsman Lorenzo Della Toffola works on a gondola.

A hammer hangs off the frame of a half-built boat.
. VENICE, Italy. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

A hammer hangs off the frame of a half-built boat.

A worker prepares his materials in the boatyard.
. VENICE, Italy. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

A worker prepares his materials in the boatyard.

A gondola lies on its side, ready for maintenance.
. VENICE, Italy. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

A gondola lies on its side, ready for maintenance.

A gondolier empties his boat before craftsmen get to work on it.
. VENICE, Italy. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

A gondolier empties his boat before craftsmen get to work on it.

Workers haul a gondola, which requires maintenance, into the yard.
. VENICE, Italy. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

Workers haul a gondola, which requires maintenance, into the yard.

A gondolier rows past the Rialto bridge in Venice.
. VENICE, Italy. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

A gondolier rows past the Rialto bridge in Venice.

The end of one of the boats catches the light.
. VENICE, Italy. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

The end of one of the boats catches the light.