Il Forcolaio Matto

The mad rowlock makerIn Venice, rowlocks and oars are special, just like the gondolas on which they are used. The Venetian rowlock is called a "forcola", and today there are only four forcolai left in the city. The youngest of them is Piero Dri, who calls himself "Il Forcolaio Matto" (the mad rowlock maker), because when he started, after the 2008 economic crisis, many told him he was crazy to invest in this business. But Piero was determined, and having learnt all the secrets of the trade from his master, Paolo Brandolisio, he opened his own workshop, where he continues a tradition that dates back many centuries. “I wanted to create something where you could breathe tradition but not in a nostalgic way,” he says. “I don't like feeling sorry for myself, so I wanted to make a cheerful impression on a traditional profession.”