venice et al

ciao tutti -

it's been a while since i last posted, i apologize for the delay. as always, i'm like a starving man torn between two plates at equal distances: on the one hand, i want to go out and live live live, soak it all up, and on the other hand i want to take time to reflect, to write, to place those experiences in a larger context that could be shared with others, with you. i've been doing a lot of the first, i need to do a better job of the second.

last weekend we went to venice. let me say, venice is beautiful. it's about 4 hours away by train, and after my extensive experience with american rail, i never cease to be amazed by the quality of european rail, notwithstanding odd ideas like having 6 stangers sleep together in a small closet moving at 60 mph. but these were day trains of a more standard and less intimate configuration.

the beauty of italy is at times overwhelming, in two senses: it can reach out and smack you between the eyes in a single moment, but its omnipresence can also be numbing after a while. venezia was the intrusion of a moment of this first type into what had become the surreally everyday. we walked out of the train station and looked out across the grand canal and i was pretty much speechless. i'm very excited to one day spend time in venice with a beautiful woman that i passionately love. it's that kind of city.

aside from the fantastic art (we visited the accademia, la scuola di san rocco, and the peggy guggenheim collection) and getting lost, we had the peculiarly venetian experience of visiting the workshop of Tramontin & Figli (www.tramontingondole.it). Signor Tramontin is the last remaining craftsman of handmade gondolas in all of Venice. His great-grandfather started this business, and while the workshop once was able to turn out 21 handmade gondolas in a single month (only 3 men working together), Signor Tramontin now works alone, making about 1 gondola a year. i must say: they are so choice, if you have the means, i highly recommend picking one up. about 35,000 euros for the basic model, and of course you can opt for extras.

Interesting things about gondolas!

• Tramontin Gondolas are made from 8 different kinds of wood, used very specifically according to their different properties.
• Tramontin Gondolas are custom-made according to the weight of the gondolier.
• Gondolas are asymmetrical, very asymmetrical.
• The paddle stroke used by gondoliers cuts the water 'like salami' (how apropos of Sgr. Tramontin to use this metaphor - his solid and substantial frame suggested that he was as familiar with the intricacies of Venetian cuisine as he was with the tools on his own workbench). This technique, which keeps the paddle blade in the water continuously unlike the English variation (think rowboat), works with the water to minimize turbulence around the blade and thus maximize efficiency. A gondolier paddling at 5 km/h expends no more energy than a tourist strolling across a campo.

needless to say, i found Sgr. Tramontin a very impressive figure. literally and figuratively. it's an interesting commentary on venetian life to think about the tragically slow death of the gondola craftsman and his art. venice, which earlier in the 20th century had 250,000 inhabitants, now has only 50,000 permanent residents, with tourists making up the difference. Sgr. Tramontin seemed acutely aware of the connection between the move towards gondolas made quickly and from lower quality materials and the move towards a tourist-centered venetian culture. in the 21st century, both gondolas and the venetian experience are, in a word, synthetic.

as we left, i made a point to thank Sgr. Tramontin in my best italian and shake his hand. he had the firm grip that i expected, but that final interaction left something to be desired, although it was an appropriate end to our time in the workshop. wrapped up in a conversation with someone else, Sgr. Tramontin looked at my hand long enough to guide his into it, and then back to his discussion. he never looked at me. he saw my hands - saw that they aren't used to long, hard labor, and moved on to more important things. while he generously offered us his time and a look at his workshop, he's not impressed by the tourist market. i'm glad.