Gondolas (g'ondola) as a means of transportation around the city, where communication was possible only by water, and it was impossible to use ordinary rowing boats with oars on both sides of the hull in narrow channels, appeared in the 11th century. Once they had different sizes and finishes up to gilding with inlays, but since the 18th century a single black color has been established by law, a certain length of 11 meters and a width of 1.4 meters. The profile is asymmetric in plan - the side opposite to the rower is curved more, which allows the gondolier to be controlled by one oar from one side, since the hull curved to one side has a natural tendency to turn in the direction opposite to the rower.→