Tip Of The Hat For A Venetian Groundbreaker

[Venice, August 20. Giorgia Boscolo smiles beside her gondola, background, in Venice’s Grand Canal. After nine hundred years of male dominance in the profession, Venice is going to have its first official female gondolier.]

Giorgia Boscolo passed the practical exam on Aug. 13. She is the first woman to pass this test, considered the most difficult step in the long road to become a gondolier. She must now pass one further exam in November before joining the guild of official gondoliers. Image via AP.