This is the definitive book on the Venetian gondola, written by scholar Gilberto Penzo who also runs the website Venice Boats.
The first edition was published in 1999, but it has been out of print for ages, probably for more than ten years. I have never been able to locate a copy for sale, and I’ve ask everywhere. Non even Gilberto had a spare copy to sell.
Fortunately, Gilberto has finally managed to find an editor who’d reprint it, and it’s now available again directly from Gilberto’s site.
The book covers the construction of the gondola in minute detail, and it also tells of the people who’ve built and created the modern gondola, and historical notes on the how the gondola came about and related boat types.
Gilberto Penzo, La gondola, ed. “Leggio Editrice”, Chioggia, 2016. Ill., 205pp. ISBN 978-88-8320-135-6.
Leave a Reply