If you’re in Venice on the third Saturday and Sunday in July, be sure to take part in the feast of Festa del Redentore, which commemorates the end of the plague of 1576 and is an important and authentic local event for Venetians.
Every year a floating bridge is placed over the Giudecca Canal which reaches across to the Redentore Church, for the special religious ceremonies which are associated with Festa del Redontore. Here you’ll see locals swarming the waterways and filling the water fronts with decorative tables, ready for a sumptuous and jovial feast.
After the mammoth meal, everyone awaits the main event – the fireworks – which are severely judged by the locals and often evoke quite an emotional response! Locals prepare for the fantastic fireworks displays by adorning their boats, terraces and roof tops with garlands and balloons, which gives the whole city a carnival-esque feel.
Come dusk, Saint Mark’s basin becomes a stage when it begins to fill up with boats covered in these vibrant decorations, as everyone awaits the fireworks which soar from the near by island of San Giorgio. The best spot to view the fireworks is the Giudecca, but it can get very crowded here, so you should also try the Riva degli Schiavoni if you can see over all the boats. For a more remote viewing site, head to Sant’Elena or the Lido. When the fireworks are over, the youngest Italians often stroll to the Lido to wait for sunrise, but after all that celebrating we’ll forgive you for wanting an early night!
The fun doesn’t stop there either. The following day, cross the floating bridge to the Regata del Redentore, for the traditional Giudecca regatta; the exciting boat race of which you can catch the best views of the finishing line from the Redentore church. The main race is watched by cheering crowds who relish in the traditional Venetian style of the brightly-painted vessels and their two standing oarsmen.
Taking part in the two day Festa del Redentore will give you an overwhelming feeling of inclusion to the most traditional and fun-loving Venetian experience that there is. Don’t be afraid to gorge on delicious Italian food and cheer the loudest when the winning boats glide past; the Festa del Redentore should be embraced with abundant vigour.
Have you been to Festa del Redentore? We’d love to hear about it! Leave us a comment below and we’ll tweet the best ones!
More on the Festa de Redentore
Read about Italy
Let us know if you have been, we’d love to see your photos of the event!
i’m there! has anyone been before? do i need to bring my own food?? cant wait! R
What an incredible evening!!
We are vacationing in Venice from America and we had the honor of celebrating the 433rd Redentore with them. We loaded up the picnic basket with goodies and walked to the Zattere – a long walkway along the Giudecca Canal. Each year they build a temporary bridge across the canal to the church which we trekked across under blue skies with hundreds of people surrounding us in their boats.
After that, we walked down a little further and claimed a spot by a long line of boats filled with music and revelers partying and having a good time. It was the perfect spot! We spent the next 4 hours enjoying the sights and sounds and the generosity of Massimo, an old man with his family and his boat moored near us. He generously supplied us with food, espresso, and, of course Prosecco!
At 11:30PM, the fireworks began and it was well worth the wait as it was the most spectacular show we’ve ever seen. 12 boats spanned across about 1/4 mile in the center of the canal simultaneously filling the water in front of us and the sky directly above our heads with color and noise for 35 minutes. The finale was 10 minutes long and brought goosebumps to my arms and neck!! It was absolutely amazing!!
Wow, your experience sounds incredible!
Sounds like you had a very unique time – how lucky to spend time with a local family, and get to taste all of that traditional Italian fod! Delicious.
The fireworks truly sound spectacular, you should upload pictures if you have any, into the message boards: http://trafbb.com/eve/forums
I’d love to see them!
Clare
Hi,
I’ve never been to Venice during that time of the year. However, my husband and I went there during September, 2010. Venice is absolutely gorgious. We loved it! I think that we really liked the gondola ride the best (there was champagne!!! Hee…, hee). Anyway, there is so much so see and do in Venice. Contrary to what some people say, we didn’t get lost once. We took a map with us (which we never had to use), and the street names & places of interest were on the sides of buildings. We can’t wait to go back again.
On a sour note…, our hotel wasn’t in Venice. It was in Maestra. The hotel was the LH Laguna Palace. It was set in an industrial vacinity. Luckily, there was a grocery store across the street, because the food at the hotel was terrible. Also, the wait staff was terrible. Another couple at our table asked for salt. They had to ask about 2 or 3 times before anyone brought them any. Also, the first night we had veal. The slices (2) of veal were (no exaceraton) all fat. The following night we had pork chops. They weren’t you’re thick chops. They were paper thin, and all we got was 1. Thank goodness for the grocery store.
We should’ve bought a bus pass, and crossed the causeway to Venice…, where things, I’m sure, would’ve been much nicer.
Hi Cindy,
Thank you so much for your valued comments and suggestions! As our blogs are not the formal way to file your concerns, we ask that you email us at clientsupport@trafalgartours.com for further assistance. We will respond to your remarks upon receipt and look forward to working with you!
All the best,
Trafalgar Blog Editor