The “Gozzo”: fishing boats of Acquamorta
At Monte di Procida a very ancient type of boat survives, the Gozzo (in local dialect 'u vuzz and 'u vuzzariell), which is essentially a version of the Neapolitan traditional fishing boat.
The term Gozzo shows the typical boat for fishing or transportation of the Tyrrhenian and Ligurian coasts, although it does not present the same characteristics in all places. Some types of Gozzo, however, were also used in Kvarner, perhaps because its coasts are similar to the Tyrrhenian ones.
Perhaps the main type of Gozzo is the Neapolitan, also called by some "Gozzo Luciano" (by the village of Saint Lucia in Naples). It is the most spread along much of the Tyrrhenian coast, both numerically and geographically, a sign of its excellent success. It 's very strange that the Gozzo of Naples, although representing an independent type, a combination of excellent seaworthiness, so far has received little attention from scholars and historians. Even De Negri[1], an author from Genoa, came to deny the existence of Gozzo in Southern Italy, where, according to him, there were only "barche", that is to say long and narrow boats, with just accentuated saddle, and very low freeboard (perhaps a kind of canoe)! A clear case of a book written at a desk, without even bothering to visit the places he was talking about.
Again today we see the use of the inflated term "Gozzo Sorrentino": every boat seams fine to be defined Gozzo Sorrentino, from those strange pot-bellied and planing hybrids that look like failed motorboats, to the low and thin tiny craft, and even the big transport sailer. It 's clear that using the term "Sorrento" for many species so different from each other, you risk spreading the message that effective Gozzo Sorrentino does not exist except in the minds of those who can promote it so well.
It is generally known as Gozzo a relatively large boat, with wedge stern and a lack of space, and with high sides. This is a general description, not only because each Gozzo is different from another, but also because the construction of a Gozzo varies from place to place.
Returning to the Gozzo of Acquamorta, or Gozzo of Naples, it has the same bow and stern (for this it is said "two peak"), a nearly symmetrical saddle makes the bow slightly higher than the stern, and has high vertical sides. Vertical sides are needed for the small fishing for which the Gozzo is targeted: a mirror and a harpoon or nets are used along the cliffs. The need to reach as much as possible the rocky and jagged coastline while fishing, to hunt octopus almost inside their burrows, has meant that the prow was vertical. But the stern is vertical too, since it is equal to the bow, and often being preferred for rowing. The bottom is flat or nearly flat, always to get as close as possible to reefs and shoals, or even to go deep into the openings between the rocks (the “catagne”).
In the past the fishing boats were propelled rowing or sailing Latin. For several years the inboard engine (originally a diesel hot-headed) has replaced the sail, but there are still many fishing boats fitted with partner and mast step for the tree.
In Monte di Procida fishermen used to contract Gozzo building to San Giovanni a Teduccio yards, on the eastern outskirts of Naples, where the best shipwrights in the Gulf were operating. However there are evidences of ships built in Baia, Procida, or the same Monte di Procida. Once built, the Gozzo were enrolled in the register of Acquamorta delegation, at the beach of Monte di Procida, getting the characteristic identification 9NA, followed by a sequential number. Unfortunately for some years a misunderstanding between the Monte di Procida fishermen has made that this old custom of 9NA was shut down, and the fishing boats of Monte di Procida went to swell registers in Torregaveta maritime office.
The similarity between Naples and Acquamorta Gozzo (or rather the reason why Monte di Procida fishermen preferred the Neapolitan Gozzo) is explained by the similarity between the coast between Naples and Mergellina Marechiaro and the coast of Monte di Procida, especially from Acquamorta to Torregaveta, through San Martino and the “Chiaia 're Puorch”. The prey, the fishing techniques and marine and construction requirements were the same.
At Monte di Procida a very ancient type of boat survives, the Gozzo (in local dialect 'u vuzz and 'u vuzzariell), which is essentially a version of the Neapolitan traditional fishing boat.
The term Gozzo shows the typical boat for fishing or transportation of the Tyrrhenian and Ligurian coasts, although it does not present the same characteristics in all places. Some types of Gozzo, however, were also used in Kvarner, perhaps because its coasts are similar to the Tyrrhenian ones.
Perhaps the main type of Gozzo is the Neapolitan, also called by some "Gozzo Luciano" (by the village of Saint Lucia in Naples). It is the most spread along much of the Tyrrhenian coast, both numerically and geographically, a sign of its excellent success. It 's very strange that the Gozzo of Naples, although representing an independent type, a combination of excellent seaworthiness, so far has received little attention from scholars and historians. Even De Negri[1], an author from Genoa, came to deny the existence of Gozzo in Southern Italy, where, according to him, there were only "barche", that is to say long and narrow boats, with just accentuated saddle, and very low freeboard (perhaps a kind of canoe)! A clear case of a book written at a desk, without even bothering to visit the places he was talking about.
Again today we see the use of the inflated term "Gozzo Sorrentino": every boat seams fine to be defined Gozzo Sorrentino, from those strange pot-bellied and planing hybrids that look like failed motorboats, to the low and thin tiny craft, and even the big transport sailer. It 's clear that using the term "Sorrento" for many species so different from each other, you risk spreading the message that effective Gozzo Sorrentino does not exist except in the minds of those who can promote it so well.
It is generally known as Gozzo a relatively large boat, with wedge stern and a lack of space, and with high sides. This is a general description, not only because each Gozzo is different from another, but also because the construction of a Gozzo varies from place to place.
Returning to the Gozzo of Acquamorta, or Gozzo of Naples, it has the same bow and stern (for this it is said "two peak"), a nearly symmetrical saddle makes the bow slightly higher than the stern, and has high vertical sides. Vertical sides are needed for the small fishing for which the Gozzo is targeted: a mirror and a harpoon or nets are used along the cliffs. The need to reach as much as possible the rocky and jagged coastline while fishing, to hunt octopus almost inside their burrows, has meant that the prow was vertical. But the stern is vertical too, since it is equal to the bow, and often being preferred for rowing. The bottom is flat or nearly flat, always to get as close as possible to reefs and shoals, or even to go deep into the openings between the rocks (the “catagne”).
In the past the fishing boats were propelled rowing or sailing Latin. For several years the inboard engine (originally a diesel hot-headed) has replaced the sail, but there are still many fishing boats fitted with partner and mast step for the tree.
In Monte di Procida fishermen used to contract Gozzo building to San Giovanni a Teduccio yards, on the eastern outskirts of Naples, where the best shipwrights in the Gulf were operating. However there are evidences of ships built in Baia, Procida, or the same Monte di Procida. Once built, the Gozzo were enrolled in the register of Acquamorta delegation, at the beach of Monte di Procida, getting the characteristic identification 9NA, followed by a sequential number. Unfortunately for some years a misunderstanding between the Monte di Procida fishermen has made that this old custom of 9NA was shut down, and the fishing boats of Monte di Procida went to swell registers in Torregaveta maritime office.
The similarity between Naples and Acquamorta Gozzo (or rather the reason why Monte di Procida fishermen preferred the Neapolitan Gozzo) is explained by the similarity between the coast between Naples and Mergellina Marechiaro and the coast of Monte di Procida, especially from Acquamorta to Torregaveta, through San Martino and the “Chiaia 're Puorch”. The prey, the fishing techniques and marine and construction requirements were the same.
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