Why do people in Venice row standing up?
The history of Veneto-style rowing is associated with the specific characteristics of the lagoon and the “use of flat bottomed boats without keel, which are light weight and can be steered by a single oarsman … Rowing a boat with two crossed oars – called “alla Valesana” – was and still is practised in the shoals and in the fishing valleys, however, this style of rowing is not possible in the narrow waterways in Venice with the heavy boat traffic. The oarsmen developed a special one-oared rowing technique in order to do away with the rudder, which was aided by their development of asymmetrical boats.” (extract from www.vogaveneta.
The history of Veneto-style rowing is associated with the specific characteristics of the lagoon and the “use of flat bottomed boats without keel, which are light weight and can be steered by a single oarsman … Rowing a boat with two crossed oars – called “alla Valesana” – was and still is practised in the shoals and in the fishing valleys, however, this style of rowing is not possible in the narrow waterways in Venice with the heavy boat traffic.
