I qualified as a lawyer ...
But the nine-to-five life wasn't for me. On graduating I got offered a job at a tug company in Venice, but I had already begun to dabble in rowing. Look at my office – it's filled with the most beautiful furniture in the world.
We know where you live ...
It's easy to tell where tourists are from. The British are polite but they never tip.
Just one Cornetto ...
Gondoliers do not sing. They row. Clients pay extra to have a maestro, usually accompanied by an accordion player, to come on board and sing. When someone starts singing "Just one Cornetto", we know they are British.
People moan about ...
The price (€80 for 40 minutes) but I think the hours justify our earnings –
often in the summer season we work from 7am to midnight. I get home smelling like a goat and all I do is eat and sleep. I row in 40C heat and when my hands are so cold I can no longer feel them. And a gondola can cost about €30,000.
Accidents can occur ...
When people are getting on and off gondolas. Last year I designed some safety signs and presented them to them to the mayor and the City of Venice. You'll see them mounted at all the gondola and traghetto stations in Venice. I think the idea came from my law background.
If you want to escape the tourists ...
Try Cantina do Mori, a stone's throw from the Rialto market. It serves wine by the glass and affordable cicchetti (tapas-style snacks), which you eat standing up.
It's for you-hoo ...
Clients moan that we use our mobiles, but we have busy lives just like everyone else. You may only be on board for 40 minutes, but you're still in our office.
How to pick your gondola ...
There are 425 licensed gondoliers in Venice, divided between 12 gondola stations. Each one is different, according to the history and tradition of that particular neighbourhood. It's best to find a gondola station near an area you'd like to see up close.
My favourite lunch spot is ...
Trattoria da Chinellato, in Calle degli Albanesi, between the Danieli Palace jail from which Casanova escaped (part of the Doge's Palace). The service is efficient and friendly and there's a two-course set menu for €12.
The most interesting person I've had on board ...
I've made some lifelong friends, including a guy from Australia who taught me to surf, and a friend from England who returned with his family for Carnival. Last week his brother-in-law sailed into Venice on his own boat and invited my family on board for dinner.
The best thing about my job is ...
When customers disembark happy.
