HullThe flat-bottomed body, built lopsided on purpose and painted black.
Bow (prua)The front end, raised high and decked over.
Stern (poppa)The back end, where the gondolier stands facing the bow.
Oar (remo)One long oar that both drives and steers the boat.
Ferro (bow iron)The iron blade on the bow, a symbol of Venice.
Forcola (oar rest)A carved wooden rest for the oar, near the stern.
Teeth (rebbi)Six teeth point forward under the curved head. One points back.
Felze (old cabin)A small cabin for the passengers. Gondolas no longer carry it.
How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-10-01 and kept only where both of these use it. (1) Wikipedia, Gondola, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gondola : the flat-bottomed, asymmetrical hull painted black; the gondolier standing on the stern facing the bow; the oar (rèmo) and its carved rest (fórcola); the iron prow-head (ferro) with six teeth pointing forward and one back; the felze, a small cabin fitted until the early 20th century. (2) El Felze, the association of the crafts that build the gondola, https://www.elfelze.it/la-gondola/ , https://www.elfelze.it/i-mestieri/remeri/ and https://www.elfelze.it/i-mestieri/fravi/ (in Italian): the black, asymmetrical, flat-bottomed hull with raised bow and stern, the platform at the stern for the gondolier, the oar and the forcola, the bow iron with its teeth, and the felze, a removable cabin. Licence: own work
The drawing: Own drawing from plain geometry; nothing traced. Licence: own work
How it works
A gondola is the long, black rowing boat of Venice, not the cabin of a cable car. The drawing shows one from the side, with eight parts to name in Venetian and English.
Read the full guide
One oar, one rower
Standing on the stern and facing the bow, the gondolier rows with one oar at the side. The oar is not tied to the boat. It lies in the forcola, a carved wooden rest shaped to hold it in several positions. The hull is built lopsided so that one oar can both drive and steer it.
The iron on the bow
The ferro is the tall iron blade on the bow. Under its curved head, six teeth point forward and one points back. Stories give each tooth a meaning, but old pictures show gondolas with four or five.
The felze was a small cabin that kept the weather off passengers. Gondolas no longer carry it, so it is a dashed outline here.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a gondola called?
The hull, with a raised bow and stern. On the bow stands the ferro, an iron blade with teeth. Near the stern the oar, or remo, lies in a carved rest called the forcola. Older gondolas also had a cabin, the felze.
What is the metal thing on the front of a gondola?
The ferro, also written fero and nicknamed dolfin. It is an iron blade with a curved head and a comb of teeth, and it has become one of the symbols of Venice.
What is a forcola?
The oar rest of a gondola: a piece of hard wood, carved by a specialist oar maker, that the oar lies in while the gondolier rows.
Why is a gondola black?
An old law of Venice required gondolas to be painted black, and by custom they still are.