The aim of City Barge is to promote the amateur sport of rowing, particularly VENETIAN boats and their unique rowing style, the voga alla veneta, made iconic by the Venetian gondoliers. Venetian rowing is social rowing, and City Barge organizes outings, excursions and a variety of rowing events for rowers, and even non-rowing associates.
City Barge rows in and around Oxford, around the UK, in Venice, and beyond. We enjoy many social events connected with rowing for pleasure, and our different groups of rowers and supporters enjoy not only rowing, but spreading the interest in these extraordinary boats.
Membership is open to men, women, and rowing enthusiasts of all types. Contact us to arrange to meet at the Longbridges Boathouse in Oxford. Here you can see our facilities, meet some of our existing members, and give rowing a try yourself.
I would like to report on a stupendous event which has just taken place in Oxford. Thirty-one rowers and four supporters travelled by air to take part in the annual rally of the International Community of Venetian Rowers, or CIVV—this year in England and hosted by City Barge.
On this clearest of mornings, as we stand on the edge of the landing of the San Giobbe Cantiere boathouse looking over the calm Venetian lagoon, we can see the sun gleaming on the snowy mountaintops a hundred kilometres away. This is our Long Row during the annual training week hosted by our friends at Settemari Venetian rowing club.
In June 2022, I met a group of rowers from Treviso’s SILE club when I joined the CIVV rally in Padua. Earlier this year, the SILE club contacted me to say they were coming to Oxford for the 2023 rally on 19-22 July. Stefano Melanotte invited me to visit the club during our March training with Settemari.
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