July 17 - beginning in the late afternoon and into the evening, thousands of boats will converge in the Venice lagoon for the annual Redentore Festival - an event estimated to attract well over 30,000 people.
About 11:30 PM, the fireworks extravaganza begins. This is one of those memorable and unique experiences you will want to witness for yourself! I'll never forget the sensation as my body felt every boom from what certainly has to be one of the world's greatest fireworks displays. Or, seeing the smoke drape the St. Mark's Basin and the Venice skyline in a misty shroud. The colors and patterns of the fireworks and accompanying music were a symphony to behold.
Redentore is a feast day of thanksgiving to celebrate the Venetians survival of a 16th centrury plague. After three years of enduring the epidemic, a temple of thanksgiving was to be built on Giudecca island. The church was begun in 1579 with architect Palladio laying the first stone. Only July 21, 1578 a makeshift bridge of connecting boats and platforms were laid across the canal to the site of the church. A large crowd of survivors crossed the bridge to celebrate their victory over the plague. Once the church was finished in 1592, the Doge decreed that the third Sunday in July should be set aside for pilgrimage. Afraid of not being able to find room at the ceremony, people started the tradition of arriving in the Giudecca the evening before to spend the night, awaiting the sunrise and Sunday services. The tradition continues today.
You can stand along canal banks and watch, or do as I did, and rent a boat and join the 1,500+ other boats in the lagoon for an up close and party-like atmosphere. You'll see everything from small boats with families and children, to young adults in larger boats with their own DJ's, or yachts with caterers passing hors d'ourves and champagne. With so many boats tied-up together, it would be possible to go from one boat to the next - although I'm not sure about the rules for party hopping!
Unique festivals like Redentore are special touches that can transform a trip and give you an insight and a connection to a people and a place.
