Venice Feast of Redeemer (Festa del Redentore) : stunning fireworks display on the Venice Lagoon
Over the weekend of 20/21 July 2013 you will be able to live all the magic of the
Festa del Redentore in
Venice, which perfectly combines religion – the pilgrimage to the church on
Giudecca island – and folklore, with the stunning fireworks display on the
Lagoon.
On
Saturday evening, like every year, there will be thousands of boats flooding the
basin of San Marco and hordes of visitors on the banks eating and waiting, with bated breath, for the fireworks to flare up at midnight and create dazzling reflections on the surface of the Lagoon and on the facades of the palazzi.
The tradition of the
Redentore dates back to 1577 when a basilica was built on Giudecca Island in thanksgiving for deliverance from a major outbreak of the plague. This was the famous Church of the
Most Holy Redeemer, Il Redentore: a pilgrimage church designed by Palladio now reached by crossing an impressive pontoon bridge spanning 330 metres. In addition to the legendary firework display, the celebrations include a solemn ceremony presided over by the Patriarch and a religious procession, and the weekend is rounded off with a gondola regatta as part of the “Voga alla Veneta” Rowing Season.
The programme
SATURDAY 20 JULY 2013
19:00 Opening of the votive bridge connecting the Rafts to the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer on Giudecca Island.
23:30 Fireworks display in the basin of San Marco.
Associated events:
Concert of traditional Venetian music performed by the Tessera Music Band at the Fondamenta dei Gesuiti
SUNDAY 21 JULY 2013
Redentore Regattas – Giudecca canal:
16:00 Children’s twin-oared “pupparini” boat regatta
16:45 Twin-oared “pupparini” boat regatta
17:30 Twin-oared gondola regatta
19:00 Holy Mass at the Redentore Church on Giudecca island
Associated events:
21:00 “Venezia Rivelata” (Venice Revealed), a project by Alberto Toso Fei and Elena Tagliapietra
a reading and body painting performance at the Pescheria di Rialto.
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