L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano I s t h e r e a n y t h i n g more quintessential- l y V e n e t i a n t h a n a gondola? Well yes, p e r h a p s : a g o n d o - liere, or gondolier, to say it i n E n g l i s h . W e a l l k n o w t h e s e c o l o r f u l f i g u r e s , s o familiar to all those who vis- ited La Serenissima at least once in their life, with their black pants, straw hats, and striped shirts: but have you ever wondered why they are dressed that way? Where does the uniforme del gon- doliere come from? W e s h o u l d t a k e a s t e p back to understand. During t h e g o l d e n y e a r s o f t h e Venetian Republic, gon- doliers were privately hired by the most important - and wealthy - families in town for their own gondolas. Back then, their clothes were in line with the baroque style that was en vogue, with its damask coats, gold buttons, a n d w i d e t r o u s e r s t h a t ' d tighten at the knee. They were known as gondolier de casada - an expression we l e a r n e d f r o m C a r l o Goldoni's theatre pièces- and, in the collective imagi- nation of their contempo- raries, they were the equiva- lent of butlers in Edwardian English literature: a bit ser- vant, a bit confidant of their masters. In those years, gon- doliers' clothes were made specifically for them, by spe- cialised tailors. But today's gondoliers, the ones who make so many tourists happy, are a rela- tively modern creation. Up to the 1960s, steering gon- dolas wasn't their only job: gondola rides were a season- al affair so, often, gondoliers doubled as coalmen during the winter months. Then, m a s s t o u r i s m b e c a m e a thing, and riding gondolas o n t h e C a n a l G r a n d e a beloved activity for all visi- tors. So being a gondolier b e c a m e a p r o f e s s i o n i n itself. T o f i t r i g h t l y t h e p a r t , t h e y e m b r a c e d a s t y l e inspired by sailors' uniforms across Europe, as well as some ad hoc elements: enter the straw hat - often embell- ished by a ribbon - the black trousers and shoes, the silk cummerbund and, of course, the striped shirt. Indeed, it is the red and white or - more recently - blue and white shirts we see in our minds when thinking of gondolieri, a true symbol of the category. And if the association with traditional nautical design is easy to recognise, it may come as a s u r p r i s e t o f i n d o u t t h a t , perhaps, its adoption as a "uniform" is rooted in the world of cinema, more pre- cisely, in a 1958 Dino Risi movie, Venezia, la Luna e Tu (Venice, the Moon and Y o u ) , w h e r e l e g e n d a r y Alberto Sordi played the part of a gondoliere wearing a white and red striped shirt. The look was so eye-catching and iconic that gondoliers decided to adopt it for real, or so the legend says. Whether this is the real reason behind the trend or not, the striped shirt has become an official part of g o n d o l i e r s ' u n i f o r m , a s attested by the Associazione dei Gondolieri, which also specifies the stripes must be exactly 1 inch wide. Today, being a gondolier is a serious deal: there are schools to attend not only to learn all about gondolas and sailing in the laguna but also foreign languages, which are essential for the job. The school also has compulsory courses on Venetian history and art, because a gondolier is not only a sailor, is a guide to one of the most beautiful cities in the wor l d. Upon completion of the course, a s p i r i n g g o n d o l i e r s m u s t take an exam held by Ente Gondola: if they're success- ful, they can finally register in the albo of the profession. Before finally investing in their gondola and showing Venice around to tourists, h o w e v e r , n e w g o n d o l i e r s must train with an experi- enced colleague for a period between 6 and 12 months, at the end of which they'll take another exam, a practical one this time, where they are required to "drive in traf- fic," or on a day of high tide. Last but not least, all gon- doliers are required to steer their gondolas with aplomb, because their profession is a r e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f V e n i c e herself: timeless, unique, perhaps quirky, but always elegant. S e b b e n e ( s a i b - b a i - n a i ) m e a n s "although," "even if," "albeit" and p r e t t y m u c h a l l those little words you can use in English to indicate when something happens in spite of something else. As usual, it is much easier to understand with exam- ples! Sono andato alla festa di compleanno, sebbene non ne avessi molta voglia ("I went to the birthday party, even if I didn't really feel like it"); or sebbene lo conosca, non sono mai stato a casa sua ("even though I know him, I've never been at his place"). If you know Italian a bit a l r e a d y , y o u m a y h a v e n o t i c e d a t h i n g o r t w o : sebbene is a bit of a fancy word and you are definitely more likely to be familiar with its - way more common - brother "anche se," which has the same meaning. In fact, both sentences above would make perfect sense with "anche se" instead of sebbene, and they would still be translated in English the same way. Another thing seasoned Italian speakers may have n o t i c e d i s t h a t s e b b e n e always introduces a sub- junctive, that mysterious v e r b a l f o r m t h a t d o e s n ' t e x i s t i n E n g l i s h , w h i l e "anche se" is perfectly happy with the indicative. Confusing? Perhaps, but l a n g u a g e s t e n d t o b e a t times! Etimologically, sebbene comes from the union of se (if) and bene (good) and it is attested for the first time in the 14th century. Y o u c a n u s e s e b b e n e when you like, but it may sound a bit old-fashioned in spoken language, while it is quite common when writing. B u t m a k e s u r e y o u k n o w how to conjugate your sub- junctives, though, otherwise you'll make a pessima figu- ra! Hai ignorato il mio con- siglio, sebbene sapessi che mi avresti deluso You ignored my advice, even though you knew you'd disappoint me. Sebbene abbia studiato tantissimo, non ho passato l'esame. Even if I studied a lot, I failed the exam. Sebbene ne vada matto, non posso mangiare funghi! Even if I love them, I can't eat mushrooms! LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Word of the Day: Sebbene - even if you don't know it, we promise it'll come in handy! Italian Curiosities: why do gondoliers wear striped shirts? Gondoliers wearing their traditional striped shirts (Photo: Oksana Ermak/Dreamstime) © Ammentorp | Dreamstime.com

• Cover