Venetian Women Break Into 440-Gondolier Trade, Challenging Centuries-Old Water Barriers
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Sep 6
Venetian Women Break Into 440-Gondolier Trade, Challenging Centuries-Old Water Barriers
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Sep 6
Summary
Only a handful of women now actively work as gondoliers in Venice, where waterways function as streets and public space has long been dominated by men.
Giorgia Boscolo broke that barrier in 2010 as the first licensed female gondolier; more women have since passed the exam, though the city still has about 440 licensed gondoliers and 200 substitutes.
Women are also entering other lagoon trades: Chiara Curto is Venice’s only female sandolista among about 20, and Silvia Scaramuzza is the city’s only female master boatbuilder.
Marta Canino’s women-run motorboat school, founded in 2020, reflects a broader push to turn practical access to navigation into social and political visibility for women.
That shift unfolds as Venice faces rising seas, volatile tides and tourism-driven depopulation, adding pressure to traditions that women are now helping reshape.