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are
the shoemakers who make special shoes for gondoliers. As
in the case of hats and clothes, the standardisation of the gondolier’s
shoes is a relatively recent development. The few examples of historical
documentation depict the gondolièr de casada wearing shoes that
reflected the elegance of his clothes through, for instance, the use of
buckles. The
art of the caleghèri – an ancient Venetian tradition – has
resisted the predominance of mass production. It continues in a few
workshops in the city that have maintained ancient techniques and
specialise in prestigious or functional footwear. ‘Functional’ is what
the shoemakers like to call the ‘gondolier’s shoe’ and this is
becoming the ‘standard’ footwear for gondoliers. Invented
in the 1970s for Venetians, the ‘funzionale’ has a sole with a
soft but durable wedge in rubber, and an insole with arch support in
leather designed to prevent backache in people who spend long periods
walking. The insole is applied and fixed to the form using three nails,
and the veal skin upper is mounted and stretched with pins. Once the
insole has been thinned and the sole applied, the shoe is pressed for
eight hours with mastics. It requires ten hours to complete a pair of
shoes – including the cutting, mounting and fixing of them. Although
they are handmade and made-to-measure, they are reasonably priced as no
stitching is involved (shoes with stitching require much more time). |
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The
shoe, designed as a comfortable walking shoe for Venetians, has been
‘adopted’ by gondoliers who spend long periods of time standing. The
version in black is becoming increasingly widespread. The art is still
learnt in workshops where the traditional tools of the trade –
pincers, hammers and nails – reign supreme. The guild of the caleghèri, associated with the zavattèri (slipper makers), dates from 1271. Many place names – for bridges, small squares and alleys – feature the word caleghèr: |
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associazione 'el felze' - san marco 430 - 30123 venezia - italy |  |