Historic views of Lake Como in period photographs, etchings and paintings are the main source of information about interesting details of the traditional oared boats of the lake, which are the subject of this unusual and intriguing book.

Starting with the 16th Century when Boccaccino and Leonardo da Vinci featured boats in their paintings, the authors carried out an in-depth investigation into the origins, function and distribution of the oared boats which have plied the waters of the lake to the present day. A wealth of pictorial documentation presents the different types of boat which have evolved with infinite variations in such a limited geographical area: work boats (cargo and especially fishing boats, where the rowing technique reached its maximum development), smuggling boats (which are the forefathers of modern day sports or racing boats); the gondolas of Venetian origin and, at the end of the 19th Century, the inglesinas (with their belle époque charm, which marked the introduction to the heady world of pleasure boats).

Magnificent views of Lake Como and its shores in 19th Century and early 20th Century paintings give the reader a glimpse into a fascinating way of life that seems worlds away today.