Venice has a un-numerable amount of large and tiny navigable water channels roamed by about 700 gondolas - but only one remaining gondola production, repair and service station. This hidden gem may be found at: Squero di san Trovaso Campo San Trovaso Dorosuro 30123 You reach it by taking Vaporetto No.1 and leave it at the station Zattere. The place your looking for is right behind the Vaporetto station. People there are welcoming (somehow if you insist) visitors there. The gondola construction site is running basically unchanged since the 17 century, using the same methods as by that times. The secrets of gondola making (the gondola is 10,5 m long, 1,4 m wide and on the right side 24 cm smaller then on the left) is handed from genereation to generation. The shop is unbelievable small - occupying no more than a average gas station in the US. It turns out no more then 3 gondolas a year. Every gondola consists of eight different kind of woods and is tightly fit like a handmade glove to the physical abilities of the very gondoliere for whom the the vessel was ordered. The six horizontal stripes on the metal head of every gondola ferro symbolize the six Sestrieri e.g. the parts the city of venice are divided in. The seventh strip on the vessels header is pointing backwards so symbolizing the very island lying before the main Venice island Guidecca. The round top symbolizes the round hats the 120 Dogen (head of the Patrizier who run the city well from 697 till 1997. Till the middle of the 16 century the gondolas where very colorful and excessive in add ons. The venetian senate stepped in to raise the elegance and decreed a law in 1562 that the gondolas may have any color - as long at it is black. Gondolas are the only private boats allowed. All other vessels, except for water taxis and transport ships are forbidden in Venice. Around 1420 Venice had 200.000 inhabitants and was counted due to their clever trading and production policy as by far the richest city in the world. Venice had by then the reputation of a worldwide respected leading cultural, militarily and economic superpower. Similar like the USA is today - except for Venice was also worldwide a respected and admired power.