Venice - The other Gondola Experience - La Forcola
Visiting the Forcola workshop of Remèr Paolo Brandolisio
This last trip to Italy I wanted to get off the beaten path even more than I usually like to. I made a point of searching out unique places to see and enjoyable things to do that would give us a better view into the city we were visiting and the Italians that call it home.
The experience below is one of my most treasured that we did. It was charming and fascinating and it gave us such a deeper understanding and appreciation for how much work and love goes into that magical gondola ride. You can read about The Gondola Experience >HERE< for all you need to know to take your own gondola ride :) On to our experience…
Visiting the Forcola workshop of Remèr Paolo Brandolisio
Forcola Workshop of Remèr Paolo Brandolisio
THE FORCOLA - If you have never noticed it before, it is that strange beautiful carved piece of wood on the back side of the gondola. The Forcola is where the Gondolier places the oar to steer the gondola, and even though it may seem somewhat a small and simple part of the overall boat, it is one of the most important and complex pieces. Each one is made out of a single piece of wood and must be personalized and carved to work perfectly with the Gondolier that will be using it and with his boat. The different notches (morsi (bites) in Italian) in the Forcola work kind of like gears and they allow the Gondolier to maneuver the gondola with ease in all it’s various ways through the narrow canals and waterway. Not just going forward or in reverse but also stopping, turning, and rotating in place…and it’s all done with a single oar (reme.) The Forcola can be smooth and plain or have detailed decorations. It is usually made from Walnut wood, but can also be made from other woods like pear, cherry or maple. It is a remarkable work of art…and once you have seen it in action, you will understand just how incredible (and important) it really is!
The Remèri carve the Forcole and Remi (oars.) They are the craftsman that specialize in keeping the tradition of the forcole and remi alive, and Paolo Brandolisio is only one of a few left in Venice today. Paolo’s passion for working with his hands and with wood started at a young age, and when he was just a teenager he tried his hand at carving a forcola. Curious and in search of guidance he took his work to Master Remèr Giuseppi Carli who was famous for his carving of the forcola but also for turning it into a modern piece of art. Carli saw something special in Paolo. He saw potential, passion and a great talent. This led to Paolo becoming Giuseppi Carli’s apprentice, and in the end, his successor and the owner of Carli’s workshop….the very space in which Paolo works in today. If you look closely at the sign with the hours by the door (above), you will see the name Carli with Brandolisio underneath. A sweet reminder of the master Remèr.
Mr. Brandolisio’s workshop sits on a tucked away little street in the San Marco neighborhood of Venice. The workshop is a masterpiece by itself and it beautifully displays all the life that has been lived and creations that have been made there. It feels as though it is as much a museum as it is a workshop though, so while you are taking in the art being created before you, also take a moment to soak up the charm of the lifetimes of work and layers of details that this space is filled with. If you are in love with the idea of taking a piece of this alluring workshop with you (and don’t have a gondola) Brandolisio also creates and sells small carved replicas of the forcola and the ferro (the metal part at the front of the gondola) too. I also recently saw on his Instagram page, him making some gorgeous wood bracelets. I didn’t see them while I was visiting or I may have been tempted because one of my mottoes is “there’s always room for another piece of jewelry” :) Don’t tell my husband!
My experience and how to visit this fascinating place
MY EXPERIENCE - I am in heaven in this is the type of place. The world in which someone does their craft…their work…. spends their days….their life. All of their happy things, their inspirations, their necessities, their memories, their present works, their future projects. To see their hands at work creating and doing what they love…to watch them go through the motions and the rhythms that there body knows as good as there mind. To watch them live in the moments that consume their days. It is the fuel that lights my fire and this workshop was one of the best I’d ever seen.
The walls had all but disappeared under layers and layers of wood planks, poles, oars and carvings. Forcole and chunks of wood that will someday be lay in the background. Shelves with cans, crates, tools and knick knacks. Art for inspiration or art for love hang all around and a layer of wood dust lays on everything. The light shines through the roof like a spotlight on the star of the show as he moves and carves as he has done a million times before. The Forcola before him sits tightly in a vice that seems as old as Venice. Wood shavings fall to the ground bit by bit and slowly they have taken over the scene before me. As the mix of fragrances in this magical world make their way into my head, they fall and settle in my soul. I smile.
OUR VISIT - When we first arrived Mr. Brandolisio was working away. We said hello and asked if we could stay and watch for a few. He was kind and courteous but quiet and working. Since my kids can speak some Italian (our story here) we encouraged them to ask him some questions in Italian. It was a delight to witness them talking with him and being interested in his work. He started to chat a bit more, answered their questions, and told us more about his work. He was impressed that the kids were speaking to him in Italian and he also thought is was weird…lol. He doesn’t usually see foreign kids being taught and speaking Italian. We continued watching as he carved and worked. My kids started getting relaxed, as kids so often do, and my little lady ended up asking him for part of his pomegranate. I was embarrassed but he was kind and insisted on sharing it with them. After some snacking, picture taking, and more questions is was time to let him back to his work. I felt blessed for every ounce of the experience happening. From watching him working on a Forcola, that no doubt is on the back of a boat as you read this, to looking at all the years of work and passion that lay around the workshop. From listening to my kids speak Italian in this setting, to his kindness and him giving them part of his snack. It was such a simple experience really but it was completely unforgettable. It didn’t cost anything….it didn’t take much time, and yet, there was such depth and connection. We left with our hearts and faces smiling, and with a little gift in my children’s pomegranate stained hands. I will never forget it! I wonder if he will ever know what he gave us that day? :)
HOW TO VISIT THE WORKSHOP -
Paolo Brandolisio’s workshop is located at Castello, 4725, 30122 Venezia VE. and is just a 5 min walk from Piazza San Marco. Be aware that Google maps puts a dot at the wrong location on the map if you search for his name. Either search for the address above or search for the mask shop Cà Del Sol. When you are there, look for the forcola carving on the brick pillar (see above pic) to find the workshop door.
The workshop was open from 9-1 and then again from 3-6. Closed Saturday and Sunday. This was at the end of 2019 - The last I could find is that he is temporally closed right now due to COVID -19. Hours could differ from above.