2000
In front of the most prestigious house of the Procuratģe (right) - under the concerned sight of the two Procurers - the head's market is held... no, what did you understand? The mixing heads are for sale, those used to make Polyurethanes! They say that a certain patent expired, whoever can make them now, a monkey with a drum is all you need to sell them. Maybe not? On the terrace the new technologies are developed: design artist and precision machines make the molds for the gondola's rams. Then they are molded (above) with modern machines made in Turin, and one cannot even tell they're not handmade! Do you know who owns the most elegant Lodge of the Procuratģe (here above, on your right) ? The merchants of flexible foams: they can make them now here downtown, they do not pollute anymore, you know? They export them all over the Mediterranean: and they still cry miserable! Look their accountants, under the porch, counting the gold coins: and this is their backyard, you should see the house front on the Piazza! To face the demand, as they say now, also the gondola-makers had to face the progress: their "squero" (the traditional gondola's shipyard below) made space to the thermoformers. These come from Britannia, and are really fast in making the two shells which are later glued and painted (thanks God, this is still a manual skill!): the "gondoliere" is anxious to get onboard and start making some profit out of it. By the price he paid for it... the problem is with the pound, so the makers said!