''La Dolce Vita'' () was built in 1897 in
Groningen
Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...
, Netherlands. She originally served as a cargo barge in the Netherlands. She serves as a
hotel barge, owned by Giampaolo Friso.
History
The original barge was powered by sail. She was first motorized in the 1950s and in the 1960s was lengthened by (with square
chines). In 1975, she was purchased by Peter Mastenbroeks. She was shortened back to her original length of and her name was changed to ''Lobbes''. In 1979, she was transformed into a sailing barge. She has worked in the Netherlands, throughout
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
, France, and Italy. She has also sailed under the names of ''Hoop en Vertrouwen'' (), ''Gerris'', and ''Lobbes''.
She was sold in 1983 and continued to be operated as a sailing barge by a French couple. Around 1988, she was sold to a new owner in
Venice
Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
and converted to a hotel barge in 1990. ''La Dolce Vita'' currently has three passenger cabins, allowing her to carry up to six passengers. She also has separate crew quarters which house the crew of three.
Deck plan
/ref> The crew consists of the captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
, tour guide/deck-hand, and chef. The crew is generally Italian with one crewmember who speaks English.
References
External links
European Waterways Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:La Dolce Vita (Barge)
Hotel barges
Barges
1897 ships