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A gondola's hull is deliberately built asymmetrically, with one side slightly longer than the other -- a refinement that took shape over the 19th century as boatbuilders worked out the proportions needed for a single gondolier, rowing from one side only, to keep the boat moving in a straight line rather than veering off course. The flat-bottomed hull also lets the boat glide easily under Venice's low bridges and through its narrower canals.
A gondolier propels and steers the boat with a single oar, resting against a carved wooden oarlock called the forcola. The forcola's asymmetric, twisting shape allows the oar to be braced in as many as eight different positions, giving the gondolier enough control to row forward, slow down, turn, or reverse without needing a second oar or a rudder.
The distinctive metal ornament on a gondola's prow, the ferro, does more than balance the boat: its six forward-facing prongs are said to represent Venice's six historic districts (sestieri), while a seventh, curved prong at the back stands for the island of Giudecca, and the ferro's own curved profile echoes the bend of the Grand Canal. Traditional gondolas are built from eight different types of wood, each chosen for a specific structural role -- some for flexibility, others for water resistance or strength.