In this intimate portrait of the sandolo and the boatmen who preserve Venice’s oldest waterborne tradition, Carola Cappellari and Lavinia Nocelli explore its fading yet resilient legacy of craft, rhythm and identity.
Long before the gondola became the global symbol of Venice, there was the sandolo, which is a humble, flat-bottomed boat that quietly shaped the lagoon city’s daily life and infrastructure. In this atmospheric piece, the sandolisti (sandolo boatmen) emerge not as quaint remnants of the past but as skilled navigators and cultural custodians, keeping alive one of the city’s oldest and most endangered traditions.
Anchored in the quieter canals of the Jewish Ghetto and districts like Cannaregio, sandolisti like Luca Padoan, Guglielmo Crocicchio (William), Livio Bon and Mariano Pozzobon reflect a world where family heritage, craftsmanship, and a love of rhythm converge. Many began rowing with their fathers and grandfathers as children, learning not only how to steer but how to listen: to the wind, the tides and the unspoken rules of the canals. Unlike gondolas, which are longer and designed for show, sandoli are agile, symmetrical and practical – capable of navigating narrow, shallow waters, especially during high tides.
Speaking to the writers, Valentino Scarpa, head of the sandolisti guild, says the gondola became Venice’s status symbol but the sandolo is how the city was built. From transporting fish to ferrying food, from family outings to funerals, sandoli were once integral to Venetian life. Each variant had a specific role – the sàndolo a la ciosòta for fishing, the puparìn for racing, the s’ciopon for hunting and the sandolo da barcariol for transporting people. Today, only around 20 sandolisti remain, a stark contrast to the 400+ gondoliers who dominate the city’s tourist economy.
Despite their shrinking numbers, the sandolisti continue their work with pride and patience. For men like Livio and Mariano, the boat is not just a vessel but a world: decorated by hand, maintained in winter and lovingly passed down. Now, many sandolisti note that their children and grandchildren have chosen other careers. The profession survives through municipal competitions and professional certifications rather than family inheritance.
But the spirit remains. “When a tourist steps off the boat, they should feel like they’ve breathed the city,” Livio tells Lucy sulla cultura. The job is part rower, part storyteller, part psychologist, offering not just a ride, but a perspective. As one boatman says: “Each tour is a conversation with the city itself.”
Yet the future is uncertain. Mass tourism, climate change and rising tides pose existential threats to Venice and its traditions. The sandolisti, like the city, are caught between nostalgia and survival. Still, their resilience speaks to something deeper than commerce. As Valentino puts it: “This job will continue until the boats stop. When they do, that’s when Venice dies.”
Original article (“I sandolisti sono i veri custodi dei canali di Venezia”) by Carola Cappellari and Lavinia Nocelli was published in Italian on 13 January 2025.
It’s available here.
Lucy sulla cultura is an Italian-language online magazine dedicated to culture, history, and everyday life in Italy, with a special focus on lesser-known stories and local traditions often overlooked by mainstream media.
