Canalside restaurant Don Salvo, which is based in the Mailbox, has introduced one of the traditional Italian boats, complete with an Italian gondolier – to encourage visitors to explore Birmingham – which claims to have more canals than Venice.

The hand-built, wooden gondola is fully licensed for the local waterways and, to ensure authenticity, has been shipped over direct from Italy. It can seat four people and availability will be based on a pre-booking scheme from Don Salvo’s.

Visitors can be picked up on the gondola from Brindleyplace and taken to Don Salvo’s. The restaurant hopes that the boat will help to add to the ‘authentic Italian experience’ of its site.

Partner in Don Salvo’s, James Drago-Ferrante, said: “We have been open for the past year and things are going very well but we are delighted we can now offer this extra service to our customers.”

Leisure development officer for British Waterways, Lorraine Murphy, said: “We are always happy to welcome new businesses onto our waterways and we hope visitors will enjoy seeing this gondola boat making its way through Birmingham over the coming months.

“People travelling on the canal will be able to enjoy the vibrant and cosmopolitan waterside. We know it will be a truly memorable experience for them.” Details: +44 (0)121 643 4000