This is the Untold Italy travel podcast and you're listening to episode number 87.

Ciao at all and benvenuti to Untold Italy, the travel podcast where you go to the towns and villages, mountains and lakes, hills and coastlines of Bella, Italia.

Each week your host, Katie Clark, takes you on a journey in search of magical landscapes,

history, culture, wine, gelato, and, of course, a whole lot of pasta.

If you're dreaming of Italy and planning future adventures there,

you've come to the right place.

Benvenuti, chow.

Welcome, everyone.

Are you ready to head to the beautiful, incomparable city of Venice with me today?

I'm your host Katie, and for those of you who have been listening to this podcast for a little while,

you'll know that while Venice is my favourite of all the Italian cities, it's not really a secret, actually. I talk about it a lot, but it's because there's something truly magical and mysterious about this most unique of cities

built on water. And if there is one thing that symbolises Venice more than anything else,

it's a gondola. You can't even imagine the city without thinking of these shiny black boats and

the lone oarsmen and women who navigate them across the canals of the city in their stripy tops and

black trousers. I wanted to find out more about gondolas, so I invited my friend and untold Italy

insider's guide, Elizabetha Amardi, to talk about them with me on the podcast today.

Elizabetha is a true Venetian who was born and bred in Venice and still lives there today,

very close to one of the boathyards where gondolas are built and repaired.

She is a licensed guide in the city of Venice and is lots of fun.

In this episode, you're going to learn all about the history,

stories and legends of the gondola and the incredible amount of work it takes to produce such

a magnificent vessel. She's also got some amazing tips on where and how to ride in one,

...