{"product_id":"gondola-book-donna-leon-9780434023141","title":"Gondola","description":"Of all the trademarks of Venice - and there are many, from the gilded Basilica of San Marco to the melancholy Bridge of Sighs - none is more ubiquitous than the gondola. In Gondola, the internationally acclaimed 'American with the Venetian heart', Donna Leon, tells its fascinating story. First used in medieval Venice as a deftly manoeuverable getaway boat, the gondola evolved over the centuries into a floating pleasure palace, bedecked in silk, that facilitated the romantic escapades of the Venetian elite. Today, the gondola wears black - a gleaming, elegant hue, and is manned by robust gondolieri in black-and-white-striped shirts and straw hats. A tourist favourite, the gondola has never ceased to be a part of authentic Venice. Each boat's 280 pieces are carefully fashioned in a maestro's workshop - though Leon also recounts a tale of an American friend who attempted to make a gondola all on his own.  The feat took five years and countless do-overs. But the gondola is a work of art well worth the labour. And once its arched prow pushes off from the dock, the single Venetian at its oar just might break out in a barcarole, a popular Italian boat song. The best of these songs, as timeless as the allure of the gondola itself, are compiled into an accompanying CD.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49551633842449,"sku":"GOR006495140","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51079779418385,"sku":"GOR012812219","price":18.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51869635510545,"sku":"GOR006902471","price":10.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53353680568593,"sku":"GOR009312165","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0434023140.jpg?v=1751449407","url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/products\/gondola-book-donna-leon-9780434023141","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}