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The origins of the festival dates back to the horrible plague that devastated Venice between 1575 and 1577. In three years the plague killed 50,000 people, more than a third of the population. In 1566 the Senate for the Republic decided to erect a church in honor of the Redeemer, hoping that a divine act put an end to the plague. On July 13, 1577 the plague was declared finally over and from then on Venice has been marking the event on the third Sunday of July with a religious celebration and a popular feast.

During the days of the Redentore festival a bridge of boats, 330 meters in length, straddles the Giudecca Canal. The bridge allows Venetians to easily access the Redentore basilica, where the faithful take part in religious celebrations. The most important one is the Votive Mass presided by the Patriarch. 

It can be said that Venice Republic played an important role for the enrichment not only in local cuisine but even in the european one, because after the fall of Byzantium, Venice became the Eastern Door. The most of european countries used to add spices in order to preserve the food, while Venice used spices to invent new dishes and new tastes. When venetian galleons come back home after a very long trip were full of salt, pepper, ginger, curcuma, candy and fresh nutmeg, galanga from India and even saffron from China: these spices unknown until that period were able to excite the fantasy of venetian cooks: in this way was born an art of cooking unique in the world.Venice acted for many centuries as “mediator of the Universe”, because it sendable in those years.

The city had the trade monopoly on spices, taking advantage of western people’s desires. Venice became also the capital for sugar trading. During the celebration of the“ Ascension day” (festa della sensa), took place the ceremony of the “Wedding with the sea” a sort of self-celebration, and a large market in S. Mark East, and people from over the world came to visit it.

Another product very important for the venetian trades was the olive oil imported from Crete, Corfù, Zante and Cefalonia, from the eastern coasts and countries like Tunisia and Dalmatia, then the oil was exported to the western countries. The eastern from Po’ valley wich used more fat. The armenians had a great cook the rice with the “pilaff” method, to grow the spinach, the aubergine and the apple and to combine minded to the other cultures and people coming from Greece, Germany, Spain and Portugal but in particular many Jewish people lived in peace in this city.

The jewish community used to go and eat at the many taverns, spreading uses and tastes and promoting a large use of fruit and vegetables. They “saor” with olive oil and not with the other fats because these become solid the day after, or stewing the meat together with the vegetables. The typical sweet-and-sour taste of oriental cuisine is still present in the dishes of the modern venetian fruit. Typical place where you can eat the traditional and tasty venetian food are the numerous trattorie, and the “Bacari” little bars or taverns which offer a simple service and you can smell an atmosphere of ancient times, here you can eat a wide selection of typical hors d’oeuvre than can substitute a meal – called CICHETI, obviously you can eat them staying on foot, cause there’s no time to sit down.

A city on water

The first description of the inhabitants on the lagoon comes from the 6th century AD and was written by the Roman Cassiodoro:

It appears as though you slide across fields with your boats because from afar you cannot discern the canals from the sandbanks… and whilst in other cities you tether animals to the front of the house, you, with your houses of wicker and reed, tether your boats.

Even in those days, the city’s relationship with water was clear. It is a relationship that has distinguished Venice and her inhabitants ever since.

Since the beginning of its history, Venice has lived alongside water and transformed it into its major sources of income: salt extraction, fishing and river and maritime commercial traffic.

Over the centuries the city gradually extended its control of the seas and the ensuing commerce. In fact, the Adriatic was known as the Gulf of Venice.
The city’s development brought with it a transformation in the natural environment: in order to grow, the city needed to make living space out of the water, orchards, fens, mud and sandbanks. More and more land was reclaimed thanks to millions of poles driven into the mud, which then became land to build on. An entire forest of upturned trees lies at the base of the city.

The Venetians
The Venetians have always placed the utmost importance on water and its regulation: for centuries they have controlled the flow of rivers, even diverting their outlets to prevent the slow but progressive flooding of the lagoon. Over the centuries, the flow of the Brenta, Dese, Sile and Piave rivers has undergone substantial diversions to allow Venice and its lagoon to survive.

Great attention was given to providing drinking water and its use was regulated by specially formed magistrates.

Birth of the Regatta
The regata or rowing race is the most specifically Venetian of local competitive events and has always exerted considerable appeal for both Venetians and visitors.

The earliest historical evidence relates the races to the celebrations surrounding the festival of the Marys and date from the second half of the 13th Century. However, it is probable that similar events were already popular: Venice was essentially a seafaring city and ready reserves of expert oarsmen were a prime necessity.

The etymology of the term regata is uncertain. Some trace it to the word riga (line), others to the verb aurigare (to compete in a race); and others again to ramigium (rowing); in any case, the Venetian term “regata” entered the main European languages to denote a competitive event raced in boats.

During the Renaissance regate were organized mainly by the Compagnie della Calza (associations of young noblemen) but from the mid-16th Century, the Venetian government appointed specific noblemen – called direttori di regata – to arrange and supervise the races.

 The competition
A typical regatta has always comprised various races using different kinds of boats and on the occasion of a regatta, the Lagoon in front of St. Mark’s and the Grand Canal is always teeming with decorated craft of all kinds, full of passionately keen spectators.

To clear the course of the race and to keep order, the regatta used to be preceded by a fleet of bissone, typical long boats containing noblemen standing in the bows and armed with bows. Their job was to pelt the more unruly of the spectators with terracotta shot. Now the bissone still head the procession before the races, but they no longer perform a disciplinary function.

The Regata Storica as we know it now, with its commemorative cortege acting as a prelude to the competitions, was conceived at the end of the 19th century for the 3rd Biennale d’Arte as a way of offering another tourist attraction.

      

  SPRITZ

The typical aperitif in Venice is the spritz, made of carbonated water, white wine, lemon peel or olive and as you prefer, bitter Campari, Cynar or Aperol. This beverage is very common also in Hungary, (frocs), Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia and also in Romania, all the territories of ex-Austro-Hungarian kingdom (1867-1918). The story tells us that the Austrians used to drink the venetian wine with water, because it was too strong for them, so the Venetians, added a bit of liquor to give to this drink a new taste. The Austrians called it“spritz” that means injection. The aperitif-time is from 5 p.m., but someone drink spritz in the morning before lunch. Spritz is a very strong beverage, so you take care when you drink it.

Travel

The Sant’Erasmo ferry is the number 13 which departs from Venice’s Fondamente Nove stop on a roughly hourly basis. The boat calls at three stops along the shore of Sant’Erasmo: Capannone, then Chiesa, and finally Punta Vela. The journey takes 30-50 minutes, depending on which stop you get off at. Note that not all the services run the full route; check a timetable. It’s also advisable to note the return times before you set off to explore the island.

Walking around the island

The island is a long strip of land running from the south-west to the north-east. The three ferry stops are all on the north-western ‘inner’ shore, looking over the lagoon rather than towards the sea. This long stretch faces across the water and mudbanks towards the islands of Burano, whose coloured houses can just be distinguished, and San Francesco del Deserto. One of the island’s only notable buildings, the church, is on this shore. Another, the Torre Massimiliana, is down in the bottom corner of the island. This building is a nineteenth-century fort surrounded by a stagnant moat, started by the Napoleonic regime and finished by the Austrian. Its name recalls a time when Archduke Maximilian (Massimiliano) took refuge here. Recently the fort was restored and it is now open to the public, housing occasional exhibitions (opening days are limited).

Our walking tour of Sant’Erasmo
We got off the boat at Chiesa, the stop by the island’s church. This is one of the island’s landmarks, but it’s a fairly recent building with nothing to grab the visitor’s attention. We then set out along a lane next to the church, which headed across the width of the island, away from the northern lagoon shore. This route passed various allotments and fields, a new housing development, and Sant’Erasmo’s little cemetery. A farmer, stripped to the waist, laboured in one field, while another buzzed past in a little Ape (one of those tiny three-wheeled lorries) with his mother squeezed in next to him.
Reaching the other side of the island in a few minutes, we turned right and continued for a short distance before we came to a path leading out to the shore of the lagoon, where a comfortable track led along a bank. Down to our left were picturesque mud flats and shallow lagoon waters, where three people were wading in search of some delicacy for supper. Even on a peak holiday (Easter Monday) this part of the island was quiet – for whole stretches of the shore path we didn’t see anyone. The views over towards the mouth of the lagoon were interestingly dotted with boats and sandbanks; inland we passed more fields and gardens. Several battered rowing-boats were drawn up on the mud below us, and a couple of wading birds strutted about in a pool of water. If you’re interested either in boats or birds, it would be a good idea to bring binoculars on this excursion.

Finally, as we approached the tip of the island and the restored fort, we came upon hordes of Italian day-trippers, obviously not very keen to leave the vicinity of their fellow-Venetians or of the humble little bar-trattoria. Some – children and adults – were doing their best to pretend the muddy slope leading into the water was a proper beach. Gaggles of little boats had pulled up for socialising and refreshments. The bar, mostly peopled by old men speaking an indecipherable dialect, made a welcome break with its cheap wine and pleasant outdoor tables.

From the fort behind the restaurant, a small road leads back, past canals and ditches, towards the ferry stop of Capannone. The outing – including a break for refreshments – took us around an hour and three-quarters.

The secret itinerary of the Doges Palace begins on the upper floors of the Doges Palace.

The secret itinerary of the Doges Palace literally takes you into the inner sanctums of the brain of Venice. Rooms and chambers that were previously off-limits to everyone, except the most trusted members of the Venetian government. Behind the vast expanses of the grand halls and chambers of the public-face of the Doges Palace lay a warren of offices, corridors and other rooms where the secret work of the Venetian Empire took place.

On the secret itinerary of the Doges Palace you will visit the Chancellor’s Office, a powerful position in the days of the Republic. Like the position of the Doges, was an appointment for life. All state processions were led by the Chancellor, and the Chancellor was the man responsible for writing all the secret documents of the state. Typical of the Venetians mentality, they ensured that all critical  members of  their government remained loyal to the state by paying them generous salaries. The Chancellor of the Republic was earning the equivalent of 600,000 € a year back in the 14^th Century! For such a powerful position you’ll note his office was extremely small.

Next you’ll visit the upper Chancellors Offices where over twenty secretaries worked assisting the Chancellor in the preparation & storage of secret documents. These workers also enjoyed privileged positions and high salaries. The interior of the Chancellors office has the form of a ship, and in fact most of the rooms on the secret itinerary were constructed of wood and built by workers from the Arsenale.

The famous ship-building yard of the Venetian Republic where they once boasted they construct a ship in just one-day. The office is split into two-levels like a ship with railings separating each part, and the doors that you see throughout the secret itinerary of the Doges Palace are again in the style of one’s you would find on a ship. Self closing doors, with special hinges that closed them air-tight to prevent any over hearing things from the corridor outside. The secret documents were stored in the cabinets that line the rooms and along the top of these cabinets you’ll see the family crests of previous Chancellors. The Venetians did such a good job of protecting their secret documents that Venice now possesses the 3^rd largest collection of documents of antiquity in the World.

The corridors between the rooms are of simple wooden construction, narrow and dimly-lit it feels as if you are walking through the confines of the hull of a great ship from ancient times. The next stop on the secret itinerary of the Doges Palace is the gruesome torture chamber. Here the three state inquisitors would torture prisoners with one simple device. The prisoner would have his hands tied behind his back and the rope would push-out and disjoint the poor prisoners shoulders and back-bones as he was propelled towards the ceiling. For added theatrics, prisoners awaiting to be tortured would be in cells either side of the ropes were they could see and hear their colleagues being tortured. The torture chamber is illuminated by a single window that would project light into the eyes of the person being tortured so that he wouldn’t be able to see his inquisitors.

Continuing on through a warren of rooms and corridors we arrive at the famous prison cells of the Doges Palace that are one of the highlights of the Secret Itinerary of the Doges Palace. The same prison cells in which Casanova was imprisoned and from where he later escaped. Casanova was a very popular man with the women of Venice, but unfortunately not-so popular with the powerful men whose wives Casanova had conquered. After several attempts to arrest Casanova on trumped up charges, his enemies finally got their way when books on magic were found in Casanovas rooms. Possession of such books could lead to the death penalty, but fortunately for Casanova the law had been changed just six-months earlier and so he received a prison sentence instead.

The cells with low ceilings were not very accommodating for a man some two-metres tall. But, having good connections Casanova was granted an armchair, exercise time in the attic of the Doges Palace, as well as food brought to him from good-wishers from outside the prison. The “I Piombi” prisons, were so called because they lay directly below the lead roofs of the Doges Palace. These wooden cells beneath the lead roofs would be intolerably hot in the summer and freezing cold in the winter months.

Casanova attempted twice to escape from the prisons. The first attempt failed as he was transferred to another cell just before he had a chance to escape via a whole in the floor he had made with a piece of marble and iron that he found while taking exercise in the attic of the Doges Palace. His second attempt from another cell was more successful and after a meandering route through the Palace he actually walked through the main entrance of Doges Palace, “La Porta Della Carta” to his freedom. You’ll see both cells as well as the attic of the Doges Palace on the Secret Itinerary.

In fact, for some, the stroll along the narrow gangway directly beneath the roof to admire the incredible beams and structure of the timber framing that dates back to the 16^th century is the real highlight of the secret itinerary of the Doges Palace. The sheer weight of this timber construction would normally require supporting columns, but the Venetians found a way to have them self-supporting so that the vast expanses of the “Sala Maggiore” where up to 2,000 elected officials of the Venetian government would conduct their business is not cluttered with columns and pillars supporting the roof. The wooden beams with bathed in salt water for several months which fossilized them making them as hard as stone. And the residual salt prevented woodworm from destroying them!

The Last two rooms on the Secret itinerary of the Doges Palace are the offices of the state inquisitors and the offices of the judges of the infamous council of ten. Each chamber boasts works by a famous Venetian artist. The first with works by Tintoretto, and the second with works by Veronese. These are the only rooms on the secret itinerary of the Doges Palace with original decorations and furnishings. The chamber of the three judges shows another method of maintaining secrecy in that the cabinets that were used to store documents each had 3 locks. Each of the three judges had one key each and so it was impossible to open one without all three being present.

After the secret itinerary of the Doges Palace you re-enter the public areas of the Palace where you can take a tour of the other parts of the Palace including crossing the bridge of sighs and admire the works of other Venetian masters on display, as well as other works by Sansovino, Palladio, Antonio Da Ponte & many others. Combining a tour of the Doges Palace with the secret itinerary of the Doges Palace you can expect to spend around three-to-four hours to see everything!

Church of the Madonna dell’Orto

The Church of the Madonna dell’Orto in Venice was built around the middle of the 15th century by Fra’ Tiberio da Parma and took the name of Madonna dell’Orto due to the ancient picture of the Virgin that was found in a garden nearby and which was then taken to the church. Building on the church lasted for about one century and the result was extremely worthy of note: the façade is still the best example today of Venetian Gothic architecture from the 15th century. The row of niches that were originally galleries that ran down the wings of the building, now hold the statues of the twelve Apostles. Inside there is a nave with no transept and side aisles with chapels that are separated by two rows of Greek marble columns. The picture of the “Vergine con Bambino” that gives the church its name hangs alongside the Chapel of San Mauro and is a fine example of art work from the 14th century made from soft stone. Inside there are frescoes by Palma il Giovane, Ponzone and Tintoretto.

The Flight of the Angel is an event usually held on Shrove Thursday of Carnival (grasso) this has its roots due to an event that happened in the mid 16th century. In those years, during various exihibitions, a Turkish acrobat did something that stupefied the Venetians.With the only aid of a pole he walked on a rope from a boat tied in Riva degli Schiavoni to the top of St. Mark’s Tower and then from the tower to the Doges Palaces balcony, as a tribute to the doge.

The exihibition changed its name and became “The Flight of the Turk”, it has been held every year with various changes, first it was made only by professional acrobats and lately by common people that wanted to show their ability and bravery.

The exihibition name changed into “The Flight of the Angel” when for the first time an acrobat dressed with angel wings tied to a rope was let down the tower, at the end of the descent the doge himself gave the angel impersonator a gift.

The event changed its name again into “Volo della Colombina” (“The Flight of the dove”) starting from 1759. In that year the acrobat dressed as the angel fell down over  the horrified crowd.
Since then a wooden dove substitute the men.

After the fall of the Republic the event was banned (as many other traditions) until recent times.

Starting from 2001 “The flight of the Dove” become again “The Flight of the Angel” with the reintroduction of a real person instead of the wooden dove, staging the old ritual of the homage of the  sceptre to the Doge. This announced the beginning of the Carnival of Venice with a triumph of confetti and coloured air balloons. The event is now held on the week-end previous to Shrove Thursday and marks the beginning of the festivities.

This came about principally due to the diplomatic involvement of Doge Sebastiano Ziani.
Pope Alessandro III, as a mark of his gratitude to the city, gave the Doge a blessed ring, pronouncing “Ricevilo in pegno della Sovranità che Voi e i successori Vostri avrete perpetuamente sul Mare” (Receive this ring as a token of sovereignty over the sea that you and your successors will be everlasting). He then imposed the wedding between Venice and the Sea “Lo sposasse lo Mar sì come l´omo sposa la dona per essere so signor” (Marry the sea as a man marries a woman and thus be her Lord).

From this moment, the simple ceremony of the Sensa (N.o.E.) became a major – and very popular – representation of the myth of the Serenissima, “Queen of the Seas”.
Once each year, the Doge would “marry” the Sea, and throw the Blessed Ring into the lagoon as a sign of eternal fidelity.
To consolidate the Sensa as one the major anniversary celebrated in the Republic´s calendar, another Benefit came from the Pope.

The Pontiff, indeed, was grateful per la poderosa assistenza e per il cortese ospizio donatogli nella persecuzione da esso patita per Federico Barbarossa Imperatore (for the great assistance and hospitality he was offered during the persecution he suffered under Emperor Federico Barbarossa), and thus granted indulgences to all who visited the “Ducal Chapel” (the Basilica of San Marco), in the eight days (later 15 days) following the celebration.

The religious incentive to get God´s forgiveness brought every year more crowds of pilgrims to the lagoon for the celebration of the Marriage to the Sea.

The venetian character, inclined to combine the Sacred and the profane, carryed to initiate, in 1180, the Fair of the Sensa, with displays of the best local handmade products, and merchandise from the Orient.