Events
The Regata Storica
In the early years of the Serenissima, rowing was a common way of having fun and spending one’s free time in the Venice Lagoon and there were different kinds of boats. This amateur sport soon developed into fully fledged competitions to see who could row the fastest and longest, the rules and regulations of which became more and more precise. The first time the word regatta actually appeared was in the1500s. After the fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797 all local events and displays...MORE
The Celebration of the Redentore
The Celebration of the Redentore is to commemorate the construction of the Church of the Redentore, in accordance with the wishes of the Venetian Senate (4th September 1576) as an ex-voto in thanks for the liberation of the city from the plague in 1575-1577, which caused the death of over a third of the city’s inhabitants in just two years. When the plague ended in July 1577, the decision was taken to celebrate the liberation of the city each year by putting up a votive bridge....MORE
The Venice Biennale
This is a non-profit body that is supported by the Italian state. The name “Biennale” comes from the fact that the event takes place every two years, with the exception of the annual Film Festival. On the occasion of the International Art Exhibition, the great variety of artistic sectors, techniques, countries and artists involved in the exhibition are to be found throughout the entire city: palazzi, private apartment, squares, canals, and public buildings are all used as exhibi...MORE
The Festa della Sensa (Celebration of the Ascension)
This was a celebration of the Venetian Republic to mark the day of Ascension of Christ (Sensa in Venetian dialect). The Marriage of the Sea is also celebrated on this occasion. Established around 1000 AD, this ceremony consisted in the solemn procession of boats with the Doge’s vessel at the head (the Bucintoro since 1253), that left the lagoon via the port mouth of the Lido. Here, in the waters behind the church dedicated to Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors, a prayer would...MORE
The Vogalonga
This is a “non-competitive” rowing regatta that takes place in Venice in the month of May. Its origins go back to a regatta that took place on November 11th 1974 amongst a group of Venetians, both amateurs and professionals, who decided to establish a regatta for all the lovers of Venetian rowing, i.e. standing up, to revive this ancient tradition. On January 26th 1975 this idea actually became fact with an official announcement that the Vogalonga was to be established, introduc...MORE
Venice Carnival
The origins of Carnival are centuries old and are first documented in papers by Doge Vitale Falier in 1094, speaking of public enjoyment when the word Carnival was mentioned for the first time. The first official document that declared the Venice Carnival was a public celebration is an edict dating 1296 when the Senate of the Republic declared the day before Lent to be a public holiday. The anonymity guaranteed by the masks and costumes meant there was a sort of equality amo...MORE
