Via Flickr:
So the title is my attempt at a multi-lingual pun. Quick shot along the Grand Canal of all the gondola prows, or "ferri".
"The ornament on the front of the boat is called the fèrro (meaning iron) and can be made from brass, stainless steel, or aluminium. It serves as decoration and as counterweight for the gondolier standing near the stern."
- Wikipedia
"...a multi-pronged ferro, or prow. The prow's origins are even more mysterious than those of the gondola - some have five pettini, or prongs, some six (perhaps symbolic of Venice's six sestieri, or districts). The prow's single prong facing aft may be a symbol of the Doge's Palace, the Giudecca island, Cyprus (part of Venice's former empire) or Piazza San Marco. The broad-edged "blade" capping the prow may represent the sea, a lily, a doge's hat, a Venetian halberd or the Rialto Bridge. Depending who you believe, the ferro was inspired by Roman galleys, a judicial axe or the funerary barges of ancient Egypt."
- Telegraph Travel Online
Hope everyone is having a great week.
Thursday, 13 December 2012
Ferroviaria (Gondola Ferro), Venice
