
Starck’s Dream of Winter Gondola
This is a post about contrasts – new and old, fanciful and time-tested, inspiration and tradition. This is also a post about Venetian gondolas.
The gondola, the iconic Venetian rowing boat, has been around since at least the 11th century. It is estimated that there were eight to ten thousand gondolas on the Venetian canals during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, there are only around four hundred in active service today, with virtually all of them used for hire by tourists. The gondolas’ future is uncertain at best.
Recently, Dezeen Magazine has reported that the famous French designer, Philippe Starck, has envisioned a futuristic gondola as a “symbol for the future of Venice.”