Sylvia Pankhurst wrote: ‘Venice is a wondrous city of fairest carving, reflected in gleaming waters swirled to new patterning by every passing gondola’… a perfect description that entirely matches my own impression of the city. And who can think of Venice without at once conjuring up a mental picture of the romantic and historic boat used to traverse its many waterways – the gondola?

In my new book, The Echoes of Love, the gondola is an integral part of the cityscape, a often-present background element that speaks of the unique Venetian setting. But of course, no romance set in Venice would be complete without gliding along the canal on one of the famous crafts, and so my characters Venetia and Paulo take a lazy, evening gondola ride to a restaurant – the perfect pre-dinner romantic interlude.

No doubt you are familiar with the gondola, if not through your own travels then through its appearance in books and films and travelogues. But in my research for The Echoes of Love I uncovered some interesting facts that you may not be aware of – so today I’m sharing them with you.

1. Once, the gondola was the primary means of transportation in the city of Venice, with around 10,000 in operation in the 17th and 18th centuries, but today it’s primarily tourists and lovers who take the 400 remaining crafts, especially to cross the wide Grand Canal, and they also feature extensively in the Venice Annual Regatta.

2. Many people assume that gondolas are punted along, but in fact the waterways of Venice are too deep for punting and so the gondolier uses an oar, not a punt, and rows with forward and back strokes.

3.  Historically, gondolas had a small cabin, called a ‘felze’, to afford privacy and shelter. The cabin could be rendered entirely private by closing the blinds (the first Venetian blinds), and hence the boat rides gained a reputation for affording intimacy.

4. Venetian law demands that all gondolas be painted black.

5. Since the mid-20th century, no adaptations have been permitted to the design of the gondola. The design is uniform: they weigh 1,500 pounds; have 280 components; are made from lime, larch, oak, fir, cherry, walnut, elm and mahogany; and are 10.87 metres long and 1.42 metres wide.

6. The Venetians are very proud of their gondola heritage, and have set up an Institute for the Protection and Conservation of Gondolas and Gondoliers.

7. The fèrro (meaning iron) at the front of the boat is not just adornment, but serves the practical purpose of counterweighing the gondolier standing at the back.

8. The first reference to a gondola appeared in 1094. No one knows from where the name originates, but some say it is from the Greek for cup or mussel.

9. Gondoliers are licensed professionals who must undertake training and sit an exam covering practical skills, Venetian history and landmarks, and foreign language skills.

10. The first female gondolier was accepted in 2010; before this time, the profession of gondolier was entirely male-centric.