The decision to reduce the number of tourists on gondolas came about because so many are overweight that they dangerously lower the boats in the water, a gondolier association said on Wednesday.
According to the association, the average weight per tourist combined with the fact that the waters of the canals are increasingly agitated by motorboat traffic can cause water to dangerously spill over into the narrow boats.
“From some countries, it’s like bombs loading on and when [the boat] is fully loaded, the hull sinks and water enters,” Raoul Roveratto, the head of the association of substitute gondoliers, told Italian daily La Repubblica.
“Going forward with over half a ton of meat on board is dangerous.”
The reduction will apply as well to the larger da parada gondolas that travel across the Grand Canal, with their passenger numbers cut from 14 to 12.
The city council also plans to increase the number of licences granted to gondoliers from 433 to 440.
New rules mean licences can be passed on within the same family, without the new holder having to take the theory exam that follows a lengthy study of history and foreign languages, provided he or she can prove four years’ experience of punting the family gondola.
Even though anyone can apply to become a gondolier, the idea is to further protect a trade that was already impenetrable to those outside gondolier families.
The profession, which has been a pillar of the ancient city since 1094, today comprises 433 gondoliers and 180 substitute gondoliers.
The gondolas came to a complete standstill during the coronavirus pandemic.
The sector had already suffered during exceptional high tides at the end of last year, which put off tourists and damaged boats.
