A TRIO of traditional Venetian rowing boats will make their way down the Thames to Richmond on Monday afternoon (July 5).

The Italian crew will row their flagship, the Disdotona, on the way back from the Henley Regatta, accompanied by two Venetian racing fours.

The Disdotona is the flagship of the Querini, the leading Venetian boat club. It is 82 ft long and has 18 oars and has some similarities to 18th century Thames barges.

The flotilla will make its way down through Teddington Lock about 3.30pm, where there is expected to be a small ceremony to mark the boundary between the tidal and non-tidal stretches of the Thames.

People with rowing boats are invited to follow the convoy from Teddington to Richmond. They should wait on the tidal side of the lock.

The harbourmaster should then lead the convoy up to Richmond, where the Venetians will moor up by Richmond Bridge Boathouse at 4pm.

They will pause to chat with local rowing enthusiasts and will have the chance to find out about the workshop run by Mark Edwards, who built the Queen's Barge and the gig which carried the Olympic torch along the Thames on Saturday. If you want to meet the Venetians, bring an English afternoon tea to share with them and bring any friends who speak Italian.

The visitors will also hear about the Tough family, who have been building boats at Teddington for five generations.

The Venetians will be following the route used by gondolas chosen by Charles II to escort his Royal barge in 1662 from Hampton Court to Whitehall. The Doge of Venice had given the two gondolas to the king the year before.

The records say that Charles II loved the gondolas so much that he had them out on the Thames almost daily.

They were in the gold and red colours of the Venetian State and always drew a crowd of admirers. The Duke of York was so taken with the gondolas that he ordered some himself. English rowers at the time did not know how to row standing up and facing forward in the Venetian style so the Doge sent Venetian rowers to England.