Squero, the place in which gondolas are built

Last Updated on November 7, 2023 by Laura Teso

A squero [SKWEH-roh] is the typical site for the construction and restoration of boats in Venice and the Veneto. The squeri (plural of squero) were located along the major waterways (only in Venice there were hundreds). Nowadays there are only a few left in town.

Squero settlement

Each squero had a scalo, meaning slipway, an inclined plane that connected the mainland to the water. Behind the scalo there was a wooden house. The owner usually lived on the first floor of the building. On the ground floor there was the workshop, called tesa.

The etymology of the name could come from the dialectal word squera (square ruler), an essential working tool for carpenters, or from the Greek eskárion, building site.

Building a gondola

Building a gondola requires hundreds of hours of work. In fact, each one should be unique, customised for the gondolier, accordint to his weight and height. As far as I gathered only Squero Tramontin still operates this way. Even today the work in this squero is made without preparatory drawings, only based on personal knowledge and experience. Consider that the average life of a gondola is about 30 years.

Currently in Venice only 5 proper squeri survive:

Dorsoduro: San Trovaso and Tramontin
Giudecca Isle: Crea and Costantini-Dei Rossi
Castello: San Giuseppe

Squero of San Trovaso

I went to see the Squero of San Trovaso (that dates back to 1600) on the same day I visited the Galleries of the Accademia, because it’s quite close. If you want to read more about my visit, here is my post about the Accademia Galleries. Seeing it is somehow weird. In a good way. It is a corner of an ancient world lost in the city, in total contrast to the the palaces all around it.

The simple wooden building has the typical aspect of mountain houses, because both the carpenters and the wood came from the Cadore area, in the Venetian Dolomites. I read on their website that visits are possible for groups of at least 25 people, from Monday to Friday. I looked at only from the outside and I took some pictures. Nothing more, unfortunately. I hope to go and visit one day.

Squero Tramontin

I had the chance to visit Squero Tramontin though. It was founded in 1884. The owner explained everything to us visitors. For example, the price of a gondola, which can go from €40.000 to over €100.000. It depends on the features and decors you want to add. You can learn more and see all the pictures in the dedicated posts: Visit to Squero Tramontin.