The first step is the choice of the piece when still soft and young before the cut into quarters. Usually the centre of the trunk is cut down because of the lymphatic canal, easy to crack, and the external part, next to the bark, gets discarded for its darker colour.

The forcola is the unmistakable oarpost or rowlock used in venetian rowing. it exists in a wide range of shapes, depending on the kind of boat, on the rowing position of the oarsman and also on its use: work, pastime or regatta.

A forcola (plural forcole) is the rowlock or oarpost used in traditional Venetian boats, the most well-known type of boat being the gondola

The answer is the forcola (FOUR-koh-la), the gondola’s oarlock, which is characterized by a unique, serpentine shape and is made of nothing more than wood. Each rowing position on each type of Venetian boat requires its own particular forcola, a device that was developed over centuries to be the most efficient for a rower who is always ...

The forcola is made in life size and is the rowlock of the typical Venetian vessels (Gondola, Sandolo, Sciopon) on which the rower’s oar rests. It is truly a signature piece of art and a symbol of Venice.

In Venice, the makers of oars and oarlocks were known collectively as remèri.. These makers of oars (remi) and oarlocks (fórcole) were integral partners to the gondola makers, as steering a gondola without the characteristic oarlock would be nearly impossible.Originally a simple wooden fork, the Venetian fórcola evolved over the centuries into …

A visit to a forcola workshop is a glimpse into Venetian life and tradition. Franco Furlanetto’s workshop in the San Polo district is a step back in time as he custom-crafts each piece from cherry or walnut tree trunks.

The forcola for a gondola (as compared with other Venetian boats) offers a rower eight different points of contact for the oar, each devised for different maneuvers and different ways of making the boat go forward, backward, turn, or stop, according to the given situation.

What is a fórcola? A fórcola (plural fórcole) is the rowlock or oarpost used in traditional Venetian boats, the most well-known type of boat being the gondola.Fórcole are unlike any other type of rowlock because of the unique rowing position of the oarsman: he stands facing forward and, in craft like the gondola, propels and manouevres the boat with a single oar.

Paolo Brandolisio Remer, in his workshop Forcola (pitchfork) is the fulcrum of the oar of a boat: it is the chief part which is subjected to all restrictions of maneuvering and propulsion. Gondole (gondola in the singular) and their forcole (in the plural) are such a particular form that they are exclusively made in Venice.