Free Gondola Ride

Kathleen Gonzalez’s series of adventures with Venice’s gondoliers both prove and disprove the stereotypes about them as ladies’ men. The author sets out to get to know them as people, moving beyond the iconic image they present for tourists. Max may be a casanova, but Giovanni loves to read Little House on the Prairie, and Franco is a Buddhist therapist. While most gondoliers welcome Gonzalez to join them for a drink or even teach her to speak Italian, a suspicious few question her motives or try to tempt her with a not-so-free gondola ride.