Venice, Italy

I could have picked hundreds of images to depict Venice from any of the cliché tourist shots, but I wanted something a bit more personal and I couldn’t think of anything better than the fero da prorà. You may think these are ten-a-penny and on every gondola but you’d be wrong. Not every gondola has the full profile.

Here’s the back story…
The iron prow-head of a gondola is called the "fero da prorà" or "dol fin", and is needed to balance the weight of the gondolier at the stern. The "S" shape is meant to be symbolic of the twists in the Canal Grande and the six forward facing teeth or prongs "rebbi" represent the six "sestieri" of Venice - SAN MARCO, SAN POLO, SANTA CROCE, CASTELLO, DORSODURO and CANNAREGIO.

The rear facing tooth represents the island of GIUDECCA. The curved top signifies the Doge's cap and the semi-circular break between the curved top and the upper tooth is said to represent the Rialto Bridge and the space in between the Bacino di San Marco (basin of San Marco). Sometimes three friezes can be seen in-between the six prongs, representing the three main islands of the city: Murano, Burano and Torcello.

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Make:	Canon
Model:	Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Exposure:	0.003 sec (1/320)
Aperture:	f/4.0
ISO Speed:	100
Focal Length:	58 mm
Lens:	EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM