EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS

  

VENICE CARNIVAL
Venice Carnival is the most unique party in this city, where art, history, magic and colors mix in a kaleidoscope of masks and costumes that go crazy throughout the streets.
During the day Venice Carnival is an explosion of crazy shows, improvised by numerous street artists. Every year a particular theme is chosen which gives a certain direction to the events which develop from many different points of view, from the cultural aspects to those a bit more flamboyant.

SENSA: Marriage to the Sea-First Sunday after Ascension
The legend says that when the Venetian Republic sealed the peace treaty in 1117 on the day of Ascension, the Pope and the emperor granted Venice certain privileges, including the right to marry the sea, as a sign of dominance and official investment that stated that Venice ruled the seas. Today the splendor is less than what is once was, but the symbolism of the marriage to the sea remains.

On the day of Ascension the mayor, the civil, religious, and military authorities travel in boat from St. Mark´s Square to the port of San Nicolò where they throw a ring into the sea to symbolize the marriage. The course is carried out by oarsmen who row the boat to its destination. The citizens are brought to watch the ceremony by a procession of other boats.

The embarkation is followed by a historical procession with boatmen in costume that evoke the splendid past of Venice. After the ritual toss of the ring into the sea and a salute to those who have lost their lives at sea, the procession continues to the church of San Nicolò on the Lido, where a religious service is conducted.

RENDENTORE-Third Sunday in July
The Rendentore (The Redeemer) is among the most sentimental of festivities for Venetians, in which tourists can participate thanks to the fantastic firework spectacle that attracts thousands of visitors and starts the celebrations. It falls on the third Sunday of July. During the day there are mass services presided by the patriarch and the religious procession.

However the key moment of the Rendentore is surely the Saturday night before. On the unmistakable, scenic Bacino of S. Marco you can see the light games and reflections in a swirl of color that saturate the city, its domes, bell towers, and bridges.

The tradition goes that at sunset a procession of boats decorated in bright colors and lights start to come to fill the Bacino of San Marco and the Giudecca Canal. In the boats, they spectators eat a full dinner of Venetian specialties. Afterwards the boats return slowly back home or to the Lido to await sunrise.

REGATA STORICA-First Sunday in Setember
The historical regatta is a processiona parade of 16^th century-style boatsheaded by the Bucintoro, the boat the represents the Venetian Republic. The regatta pays respect to Caterina Cornaro, the wife of the King of Cyprus, who in 1489 renounced her throne in favor of Venice. The boats are steered by gondoliers and festively colored boatmen who parade up and down the Grand Canal and who long ago, carried the Doge, his wife, and Caterina Cornaro through Venicès main waterway. It is a faithful reconstruction of the glorious past of one of the most powerful and influential maritime republics of the Mediterranean.
Along the canal and in the balconies of the palaces the spectators cheer on the boats as they race by. The race is very long, starting at one end of Venice and going to the other, and then turning around and heading back. A crucial point is the turning of the boats at the end point of the course, which usually determines the winner.

SALUTE-21 November
Like the Rendentore, the Salute festivities celebrate the end of a terrible plague, in this case the Bubonic Plague in 1630-31. The Doge promised to build this church in hopes of the intervention of the Virgin in helping to end this horrible disease. Even today thousands of citizens get in line on November 21st in front of the main altar n the might Basilica della Salute in order to pay their respects to the Virgin and pray for the heal^th of their loved ones. Every year the temporary bridge is constructed over the grand Canal that connects the S. Moisé and S. Maria del Giglio area with Dorsoduro to help aid the procession towards the church.

VOGLONGA-First Sunday after Ascension
The show, which happens on a Sunday in May, came about 31 years ago through the initiative of a group of Venetians who loved rowing and from the traditions of the Venetian Republic with the aim to sensitize Venetians to the problems of motorboat currents that ruin the foundations of buildings in Venice. All the morning Venetian gondolas and rowboats gather in the Bacino of S. Marco, in front of the Ducal Palace, in order to complete a 30km course down the Grand Canal and through the lagoon, coming back through the Rio di Cannaregio and finally arriving at the Punta della Dogana.

VENICE MARATHON- Second Sunday in October
The VeniceMarathon has become one of the biggest events in the city in recent years. It is a sporting event that has attracted marathon runner from all over the world. The Marathon is of the official Olympic leng^th (42km and 195 meters). The course is flat with a slight descent. It starts off in Stra, on the mainland, and continues down the Riviera del Brenta, passing by the magnificent Palladian villas. The runners reach Venice by the long Ponte della Libertà, which connects the city with the mainland. After having crossed the Grand Canal by a bridge made of boats that is 160 meters long (made for the occasion), the head on to St. Mark´s Square, where they get a fabulous view of the lagoon.

LA BIENNALE- June to November
The Venice Biennale is more than a century old and one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the world. Since its origin in 1895 it is the avant-garde of promoting new artistic tendencies, organizing international events in contemporary art, following an interdisciplinary model that characterizes the unity of the event.Countries gather for both the International Festival of Cinematographic Art and the International Exposition of Art and the International Architectural Exposition, as well as the Festival of Music and Theatre and the Festival of Dance. The seats of the exposition, which attracts an ever-growing public (320,000 visitors a year) are located in the Public Gardens (visual arts and architecture), il Palazzo del Cinema and il Palazzo del Casinò on the Lido (cinema), the Arsenale (visual arts and architecture), the Teatro alle Tese and the Teatro Piccolo Arsenale (dance, music, and theatre).

INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
The international film festival is an event that attracts attention worldwide. Every year during the first days of September on the Lido the film festival hosts some of the biggest stars in world cinema. The grand prize, the Leone D´Oro (the golden lion) recognizes the best film, director, and lead actor.

SAN MARCK’S DAY- 25 April
The 25^th of April marks the celebration of St. Mark, the patron saint of Venice. Since ancient times there has been a famous procession of religious and civil figures in St. Mark´s Square and the Basilica. Among Venetians it is very popular to give flowers to the women you love on this day.

SU E ZO PER I PONTI- Second Sunday in March

A marathon running race around the streets of Venice, with the contestants running up and down the bridges, as the name suggests.

CHRISTAMS MARKET, CAMPO SANTO STEFANO.December

Campo Santo Stefano, near the Accademia Bridge, hosts a spectacular Christams market with a huge range of products on sale, from Murano glassware to sweets and decorations.