Row Venice: learn Venetian rowing with the women keeping Venice alive
Standing in a wooden boat, along the canals where gondoliers have been rowing for a thousand years
Venice (Cannaregio)
Row Venice is a non-profit organization made up primarily of women rowers—Venetian by birth or by choice—dedicated to keeping Venice’s traditional water culture alive. No engines, no mass tourism. Just oars, water, and an ancient rowing technique.
Venetian rowing is done standing up, facing forward. It is the opposite of conventional rowing, and it is the technique Venetians have used since the city was founded—the same one practiced by gondoliers, fishermen, and the rowers of the Regata Storica.
The lesson lasts 80 minutes and takes place aboard traditional handcrafted wooden boats. It begins while moored, learning the basic rowing stroke, before casting off to navigate the quieter canals and out into the open lagoon. There, you’ll try rowing from the stern, steering from a standing position using the same techniques as the gondoliers.
The instructors are Venetians—some born here, others who came to the city and chose to stay. The project was created to bring residents, women, and young people closer to the world of Venetian rowing and traditional boats, helping to keep these skills and values alive. Choosing Row Venice also means supporting that mission.
This is an independent editorial feature.
Photo ©Rowvenice.org
Practical Information
Location: Venice (Cannaregio)
Duration: 80 minutes
Estimated price: From 60€ per person
