Secrets of Venice gondola

 Venice gondola is probably the most famous symbol of Venice: asymmetric, long, narrow and painted in shiny black.
Gondolas used to be a popular and widespread mean of transportation, specifically designed for the narrow canals of Venice. Built manually in small shipyards called squeros (the one in San Trovaso is still working), Venice gondolas are black only since XVI century, after a government’s decree forbidding the use of bright colours.
Nowadays, the gondola is only used by tourists, but a special gondola is used by Venetians exclusively on the day of the wedding. The six bands of the iron decoration on the prow symbolize the six sestieri of Venice, the seventh one turned towards the interior is Giudecca island.