San Trovaso (a.k.a. The Boat Builder's Yard)

John Taylor Arms

Pictured in this marine genre scene is a collection of gondolas resting on the bank of a Venetian canal, waiting for their monthly repairs at the local squero, or boatyard, located in the Dorsoduro neighborhood in Venice, Italy. In the background is the San Trovaso Church, which is what gives the boatyard - still in service today - its name: Squero di San Trovaso.

Built in the 17th century when the canals of Venice hosted around 10,000 vessels, this squero functioned then as it does now, building and maintaining a fleet of gondolas for rent to tourists and locals alike. Though they are not in such heavy use as they were then, the traditional boatyard owns around 350 of the small, flat-bottomed crafts built at a rate of around ten per year, which replace those that have aged beyond repair. The wooden boat-building compound that John Taylor Arms has depicted behind the gondolas looks much as it does today, as does the chiesa, or church.