The Venice Blog

Francesco Guardi: The Bucintoro on its way to the Lido

The Bucintoro - a gilded ship used by the Doges to celebrate every year the symbolic marriage of Venice with the sea - was spoiled by Napoleon’s troops after the fall of the Republic of Venice and finally destroyed in the late 1820s. Miraculously, some fragments have survived. Every now and then, Venice discusses a reconstruction of the Doges’ sumptuous ship, but in the first days of October 2006, the possible creation of a dedicated foundation, financed by the local casino and others, made its way to the press. But not everyone wants the Bucintoro back. In today’s Gazzettino, Saverio Pastor, head of Felze, a association of gondola builders and related professionals, argued against the reconstruction, since the construction (traditional or modern?) as well as the locomotion of the ship remain totally unclear. In the days of the Republic of Venice, 168 men powered the 42 oars. As no one is willing to play the role of galley slaves today, a new Bucintoro would just be another motif for tourists, but no cultural gain for Venetians. Other spokesmen would prefer a reconstruction of a merchant vessel, preferredly from the “Golden Days” of 16th century Venice, to be shown in the future marine museum in the Arsenal.