All 10 Traghetti in Venice merit being mentioned in detail, however it is not possible in this small volume due to the limited space.

But to sum up, I would like to dwell on one of them - the traghetto of San Tomaí- because it is close to my home and, as a result of my using it daily, I know it better than any of the others. It consists of 24 gondoliers who also provide not only the parada (ferry service across the Grand Canal), but also the nolo (rides in the gondola).

They are well equipped for providing any type of gondola ride, whether it be for couples, families or groups. Where requested, the can also arrange for musical accompaniment.

Particular care is taken to the the adobes of the wedding gondolas, and the strategic position of this traghetto (located in the geographical heart of Venice) endears it to many tourists.

Other than offering numerous programmes and various itineraries, the members of this traghetto enjoy the fame of being playboys and it perhaps that this is one of the reasons for which many famous people such as movie stars and singers frequently visit them and ask to hire a gondola from them to tour the city.

Who has the patience to consult the newspapers of the twentieth century will discover with great surprise that the users of this traghetto, during their stay in Venice, have included people suchas: Alida Galli, La Bella Otero, Mata Hari, Rudolph Valentino, Dolores del Rio, Beniamino Gigli, Jacqueline Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Enrico Fermi, Greta Garbo, the Beatles, Yuri Gagarin, Totoí, Anna Magnani, Claudio Villa, Maria Callas, Julio Iglesias, Moana Pozzi, Elton John.The kindness, friendliness and professionalism of these gondoliers has led them to often be mentioned in various journals and newspapers, and it is not by chance that many of them have been chosen to also appear on the pages of the Calendario dei Gondolieri.

A final point that is worthy of attention is that amongst this group of gondoliers at the Traghetto of San Tomà, there is one that specialises in and has the extraordinary ability to recover whatever object has fallen into the water.

His name is Dante Boscolo, he speaks english and his contact number is +39 349 3122503.

At this point, not being the type to write to a gondolier, I will add a website reference for who would like to know more about the world of the gondola and the gondolier.

This address is:

The address of the Traghetto di San Tomà is: