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The "Rendentore" is a party that there is all the
years the 3rd weekend of July. The venetian people go in a boat
with the parent and the friends in the late afternoon. There are hundred
of boat in the front of S.Marco square. So we start to drink and to eat
... to dance ... until 23.00 when start the fires.
The origin of this party is from 1576 when the "senato"
of venice promise to build a church to Madonna if she'll save from the
"plague". So de disease was won. The venetian build the church and each
year there is a pilgrimage to this church (over a temporary wood bridge
that connect directly venice to the island "giudecca" where there
is the church). And after the pilgrimage there is the party on the boat.
THE FULL STORY
The story goes that, after three years of a terrible epidemic, Doge
Sebastiano Venier fulfilled the vow (made by his predecessor Alvise
Mocenigo) to build a temple of thanksgiving to the Redeemer on the
Giudecca island. The commission for the work went to Palladio who laid
the first stone in 1579: the church was then consecrated in 1592. On 21
July 1578, on the place where it had been decided to erect the temple,
an altar with tabernacle was built in the open air and in four days a
bridge consisting of 80 galleys was laid across the Giudecca Canal. A
huge crowd of Venetians, who had survived the terrible epidemic, crossed
it in the knowledge that bereavements and misfortunes were over. When
the temple was built, the Doge decreed that the third Sunday in July
should be set aside for pilgrimage. Very soon the people, afraid of not
finding room at the ceremony, would arrive at the Giudecca the evening
before and spend the whole night there to then await the sunrise on the
Lido.
Despite the fact that more than four centuries have passed since it
began, the Redentore Feast-day continues to be held in the same
places and with the same procedures. The city is united to the Giudecca
by a bridge which crosses the Giudecca Canal and is mounted on modern
floating platforms.
In St. Mark's Basin there are about 1,500 boats so
more or less 30,000 people watch events from boats and from canal banks.
The festivity reaches its climax towards midnight with fireworks that
are set off from pontoons spread along a 400 meter stretch between St.
Mark's Basin and the Giudecca Canal. Since 1978 they have been
accompanied by music and are unanimously considered to be among the most
spectacular in the world. Once the fireworks are over, the boats head
for the Lido where, in keeping with tradition, their occupants await the
sunrise.
This is one of the most venetian party because is not easy for the
tourist to find a boat to spend the night on the water (you have to
reserve it a lot of time before).
THE OFFICIAL PROGRAM OF THE EVENTS:
SATURDAY 19th JULY 2003
7 pm
opening of the votive bridge from Zattere to Redentore church
next the saint Celebration in the church
8.30pm/11.30pm
- music by the banda musicale di Tessera, in front of chiesa dei
Gesuati
- music by the banda musicale di Pellestrina, at Castello, in front of
Esedra
- music by the banda musicale di S.Erasmo, at bacino di San Marco
11.30 pm
fireworks in bacino San Marco
SUNDAY 20 JULY 2003
Canale della Giudecca
4 pm
regatta of giovanissimi on 2 oared pupparini
4.45 pm
regatta 2 oared pupparini
5.30 pm
regatta on 2 oared gondolas
7 pm
chiesa del Redentore
Saint Celebration |
