The gondola of the first class. Photo by Gribayedoff. Traditionally gondolas are painted black but even in 1906 there were people who took delight in defying tradition: Thompson writes of meeting with a bright red gondola. By July, 2006 things had gotten so far out of hand that the Gondoliers Association and the Venice city council jointly issued guidelines prohibiting "plush multicoloured cushions, garish rugs, phosphorescent paint, fairy lights and other 'tacky and tasteless' decoration and ornamentation" on gondolas. "This is Venice, not Las Vegas," said Association head Roberto Luppi. Source: Outing magazine, vol. LI no. 6, March, 1908, p. 659.