gondola ride in Venice

[mickeysgal]

I haven't been on a gondola but a friend sent me a few seconds of footage from her ride, which I've included at about 1.57 in this

It looks lovely - I hope your gondolier has perfect pitch and you have a great experience ! All the best, Tony

 

Beautiful video - thank you for posting.

[mickeysgal]

Signing gondoliers :) We have heard a few "trying to sing" and it was enough to make some of the nearby buildings crumble. But seriously, you need to consider a few issues. First...most gondoliers do not sing because they probably have awful voices :). Second: Many of the gondola tours (such as the ones sold by cruise ships) that say they include "singing godoliers" are not such a good thing. You pay top dollar and are normally crammed into a gondola with up to 4 other souls. They will usually have at least 6 gondolas full of passengers and they all move along the canals in a group. In one of the gondoliers there will be a sInger (maybe the gondolier...maybe not). This is not the romantic moment you are seeking.

 

So what to do? It is all about projecting your own personality, being a little assertive, and even having fun. So you go to one of gondola docks (there is a pretty major one to the right as you face the water at St Marks Square) which can be found in multiple locations around Venice. If you are lucky there will be a whole group of gondolas looking for business. At that point you just start talking to the Godoliers and asking them if any of them like to sing. Now they hear this all the time and might "jerk your chain" but its all in good fun. If you get lucky, you will find one who will offer to sing for you. But he may also hint that this singing is not included in the normal price (of 80+ Euros) and you might want to consider an extra tip if he is a good singer. A friend of ours (who was pretty drunk while in his gondola) offered his gondolier 10 Euros if he would sing "O solo mio." The gondolier laughed, took the 10, and then belted out an awful earsplitting version which had laughter coming from those near the canal. So you never know.

 

Hank

 

Thanks for the tips Hank - I will have to take my chances when asking them to sing. Lol.

[agabbymama]

We did the walking tour with the gondola ride and yes, we were 6 in the gondola. Our gondolier was surly and did not utter one word the whole trip, but the 6 of us passengers had a great time singing our own songs (That's Amore and O Solo Mio) and taking photos. It was not intended to be the "ROMANTIC" gondola ride others are talking about. And the gondolier did not get a tip.

[cruisemom42]

Points to ponder:

 

"O Sole Mio" is a Neopolitan song, not related to Venice at all. And given how the northern and southern Italians often feel about each other, it may be somewhat akin to asking someone from the northeastern US to sing "Dixie" for you....

 

(and of course, "That's Amore" is not an Italian song at all; it was written by an Italian-American composer, with lyrics by an English-American lyricist and popularized by an Italian-American singer!)

 

Some interesting history on gondoliers:

 

http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/gondola3.htm

[many cruises]

We went on a gondola ride with 2 other couples from our Roll Call. One couple brought the wine, one brought the plastic glasses, and we found a gondolier who sang and wore a striped shirt and hat. It was wonderful!

[Hlitner]

Points to ponder:

 

"O Sole Mio" is a Neopolitan song, not related to Venice at all. And given how the northern and southern Italians often feel about each other, it may be somewhat akin to asking someone from the northeastern US to sing "Dixie" for you....

 

(and of course, "That's Amore" is not an Italian song at all; it was written by an Italian-American composer, with lyrics by an English-American lyricist and popularized by an Italian-American singer!)

 

Some interesting history on gondoliers:

 

http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/gondola3.htm

 

Oh Pooh! Luciano Pavarotti was from Northern, Italy and did not fear the boos when he sang that song :) Now if we could find a Gondolier that could sing like Pavarotti we would pay double !

 

Hank

[cruisemom42]

Oh Pooh! Luciano Pavarotti was from Northern, Italy and did not fear the boos when he sang that song :) Now if we could find a Gondolier that could sing like Pavarotti we would pay double !

 

Hank

 

Double, heck. I'd pay more than that! :D If we could figure out a way to get Yo-Yo Ma on board, I'd take out another mortgage on the house.

[slidergirl]

Double, heck. I'd pay more than that! :D If we could figure out a way to get Yo-Yo Ma on board, I'd take out another mortgage on the house.

 

I'd go for Andrea Bocelli and Yo-Yo Ma… Cost could be prohibitive to bring back Pavarotti ;)

 

People could get the full singing gondolier schtick for a lot less money if they just go to The Venetian in Las Vegas, and they will sing O Sole Mio ;)

 

 

(P.S. I got to hear Yo-Yo Ma perform with Sting back in 2002)

[lisiamc]

I'd go for Andrea Bocelli and Yo-Yo Ma… Cost could be prohibitive to bring back Pavarotti ;)

 

People could get the full singing gondolier schtick for a lot less money if they just go to The Venetian in Las Vegas, and they will sing O Sole Mio ;)

 

 

(P.S. I got to hear Yo-Yo Ma perform with Sting back in 2002)

 

But in Las Vegas, they will make you wear a seat belt in the gondola! :eek: (Or at least they were trying to strap in the honeymoon couple we saw there in 2005. The bride was resisting big time.)