Redentore Senza Turisti
A Redentore festival without fireworks results in a Redentore without tourists.
Every year on the 3rd Sunday of July Venetians give thanks for the end of the plague in the 16th Century. In 1592 a church was built to commemorate this event named, well while I don’t recall it’s full name I know that it is known locally as Il Redentore which translate as “the Redeemer.” The celebration itself is considered a feast day in the Italian catholic calendar but only in Venice. It’s a summertime festival so naturally students don’t often get to experience it. The academic year in Venice ends around June or Early July depending on the universities. Many students return home to work for the summer or to experience family vacations during this time.
Every year in Venice a day or two before the festival, they build a temporary bridge linking the main island of Venice to Giudecca island in front of the church so people can make the pilgrimage across the water. The concept is similar to that of the Festa della salute in November. However, because this festival takes place on the Giudecca canal there is a beautiful fireworks display by the municipal government which lasts for around 40 minutes. Boats line the canal and people party and drink on these boats and they float by and behold the display. For those of us on land we can line the Fondamenta (river front) in order to see the events many restaurants also offer dinner specials with outdoor seating for this purpose. This actually takes place on the Saturday night, when its over generally young people head over to Venice or to Lido to party on the beach into the early hours of the morning. On the Sunday, there are a wealth of events such as a regattas and activities for families to enjoy.
This year I was not expecting the festival to be anything special. The fireworks had been cancelled and in general a lot of plans had been dialled down due to the pandemic. There are less tourists visiting Venice this summer and I believe the local government hoped that by eliminated the firework display there would be less cause for people to gather into crowds thus risking a second wave of the virus to hit the already vulnerable Venice. This inevitably discouraged many people from taking part in the festival this year but I was not one to be deterred. Sometimes when things are expected to disappoint there can be a kind of special spontaneous fun to be had when you are with the right group of friends. Some friends and I decided to venture into Venice and see what we could make of the night. It ended up being a wonderfully relaxed time with very few tourists about. Private firework displays were still visible, some friends were playing live acoustic music, drinks and good company. The Redentore festival doesn’t have to be fancy. In fact I enjoyed it more this way. All you need is good company and the ability to make the best of any situation.
Next year I’m sure will be even bigger and better but this years will be an everlasting memory.
