In the end I agree with some of what you are saying, 5000 euro per day aside. If the court finds him negligent than he should not work as a gondolier. He hasn’t returned to work since the accident. However, if a gondolier works 10 hours a day, he’d have to charge 500 euro per trip, and that, even with the most dishonest, is not going to happen. It would be impossible to find 10 families/couples in one day to pay that exhorbitant fee. However those that do charge by the person are the TOUR AGENCIES not the gondoliers! The TOUR AGENCIES, cruise lines and tour guides are charging 25-50 euro per person, filling the gondolas with 6 people giving the gondolier the city rate of 80 euro and pocketing the rest. Whya aren’t people outraged at that???? Hello Venice–city of Venice–charges 28 euro for a voucher per person assigning 6 people per gondola per ride and pay the gondolier 70-80 euro for 30-35 minutes. THAT is the truth. So while there are abuses by some gondoliers let’s keep the story straight. And the latest most accurate news about the ‘gondolier’ that was involved in yesterday’s shooting in Via Garibaldi is that he hasn’t worked as a gondolier (substitute gondoler because he doesn’t have a license) for over two years, precisely because of his apparent personal problems