The shipyards where gondolas are built are called "squeri" and their workers "squeraroli". The Squero di San Trovaso, a small gondola boatyard that first opened in the 17th century, is the oldest and one of only three remaining gondola repair shops in Venice.
The design of a gondola is asymmetric. Its left side is about 24 cm larger than the right so that it counterbalances the weight of the driver. The bottom is flat, so that the gondola can navigate in shallow water.
It takes about 45 days and 280 pieces of wood to make a gondola. After being fit together, they are painted black. By law, these boats have been painted black since the 16th-century. The law kept the colorful Venetians from exercising too much creative freedom. The hulls are also painted with black pitch for waterproofing. The gondolas are then grandly decorated with gold and red colored velvets and carpets.
The only elements in metal are the "iron" of the head and the "risso" of the stern. The iron of the gondola head is called a ferro. You’ll see that it is designed as a mini-map and is actually the symbol of the city.
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