Tag Archives: Venetian Traditions

The Best Moments of Venetian Carnival

Colorful, grandiose, and one-of-a-kind Venetian Carnival of 2017 is over. Let’s remember the most important moments of this celebration of Venice’s beauty, tradition, and history that brings millions of people to Venice every year.

Boat Parade during Venice Carnival

The grand carnival opening ceremony started with Venetian Festival (Festa Veneziana), which took place on the banks of one of the most picturesque Venetian neighborhoods -Cannaregio. This was a magnificent evening show of unique floating structures with music, dancing, local food specialties, and lots of positive emotions. The canal banks were lined with people watching the amazing floats go by and trying local Venetian gastronomic specialties. Festa Veneziana continued on the second day of the Carnival in a typical Venetian fashion with a very impressive boat parade along the Grand Canal. Apart from watching richly decorated gilded boats and even brighter costumes of the boats’ passengers all the guests were treated to wine, the best creations of Venetian and Italian cuisine, and of course various entertainment.

Murano Glass Hearts for Valentine's day

Lido in Love was an event dedicated to Valentine’s Day on February 14th. The island’s main square Gran Viale was decorated for the occasion with thousands of red balloons in the shape of a heart. This special event during the Carnival took place at the Love Market in Piazzala Santan Maria Elisabetta. Special booths with Carnival props such as masks and costumes were set up at the square for adventurous couples to take selfies. The Venetian couple masks parade later in the day brought the true carnival spirit to this celebration of love and romance for those lucky enough to celebrate St. Valentine’s in Venice – the most romantic place in the world.

Venice Carnival Crowds on Piazza San Marco in Venice

Another big event was traditional “Festa delle Marie” dedicated to freeing of beautiful Venetian girls from the pirates. The history of this celebration is obscure and mired in legend but most sources point to the fact that starting some time in the ninth century Venice had a custom of celebrating the catholic day of purification of Mary, February 2nd, by selecting 12 of the poorest girls whose weddings were scheduled for that year and providing them with princely wedding celebrations. Sponsored by the church, this tradition involved dressing the girls into expensive clothes as well as giving them rich dowry along with throwing grand celebrations with the doge. Once around year 943 during such an occasion pirates broke into the church of San Pietro di Castello and kidnapped the girls along with their rich dowry and gifts right before the eyes of shocked Venetians. The Venetian fleet headed by the Doge himself quickly organized the pursuit, caught the pirates, retrieved all the stolen articles, saved the women, and threw the pirates overboard. To commemorate this occasion the Doge instituted the official annual Festa delle Marie, or Feast of the Mary’s. The feast involved finding and choosing 12 most beautiful girls among the poorest inhabitants of Venice, 2 from each Sestiere, and naming each of them Mary. Nobility was invited to sponsor this event and provide girls with beautiful clothing and fine gifts. A boat parade along Venice’s canals was held to celebrate the Feast, special religious cervices were held in churches across the city, and fun celebrations with food and music were organized for Venetians. The celebrations went on for several days, and the occasion was one of the most eagerly awaited, lavish, and expensive celebrations in Venice. Eventually in 1379 Festa delle Marie ceased to exist due to rowdy behavior during the party and inappropriateness of the nature of the celebrations to the solemn spirit of the day of the purification of Mary.

The celebration was reborn in 1999 and became one of the key events of annual Venetian Carnival. Modern-day Festa delle Marie involves the procession of twelve young and beautiful girls selected in advance of the Carnival, surrounded by others in historical costume, which parades from San Pietro di Castello to Piazza San Marco. Eagerly viewers gather on Piazza San Marco to see the introduction of Marie, which concludes the celebration. This girl, the winner of the competition of Mary’s then becomes the “angel” to take the flight of the angel during the next year’s carnivale.

San Marco Campanile in Venice

On Piazza San Marco on February 19th carnival aficionados could witness the traditional “Flight Of An Angel”. The role of the angel was awarded to Claudia Marchiori, the Marie of 2016. The “Flight of the Angel” goes back to the historical Venetian tradition when an incognito guest of Venice would descent on a rope from the Campanile of San Marco down to the piazza, offering homage to the Doge. The angel is always the winner of the previous year’s Festa delle Marie. The winner of the 2017 Festa, Elisa Costantini, will become the Angel for the Carnival 2018.

Masked and Costumed Revelers at Venice Carnival

The beating heart of Venice, Piazza San Marco, became the center of yet another important event of the Venetian Carnival – the Competition for the Best Carnival Costume. The competition judges announced the winners in two categories: the best costume and the best mask. Anybody can take part, all you need to do is just file and submit a special form, deck out in a fabulous carnival costume and show up for the contest. You will then be given a change to walk on stage showing off your costume, but be prepared for the tough fight if you wish to win. The participants costumes are extremely elaborate, featuring gorgeous detail and decorations, complete with plumage, furs, wigs, elaborate hats, and of course gorgeous masks.

It is hard to imagine more grandiose and amazing celebration than Venetian Carnival. It is a mix of the old and the new, born from unique Venetian traditions with roots deep in the centuries past, a mix of romance and adventure, which attracts people of all ages and walks of life. If you never visited this celebration of life, history, and beauty we highly recommend putting it on your bucket list and experiencing these events first-hand.

Facebooktwitterpinterestmail

A Quick Guide To Venetian Cuisine: Know What To Eat In Venice

Venice is a small yet mighty island, detached from mainland Italy, and widely regarded by Italians as an entity of its own. Venetians have their own dialect, their own traditions and their own unique recipes that differ significantly from other regions in Northern Italy.

The main difference between Venetian cuisine and foods from other Italian regions is ingredients. As Venice is an island, with a history of isolation and conflict, the city was often deprived of certain ingredients that mainland Italy had easy access to. For this reason, Venice began their traditions by perusing local ingredients, readily available to humble families. These included fish, seafood, rice, and vegetables.

However, as Venice grew increasingly more wealthy, the city began to incorporate more luxurious ingredients into their recipes. Suddenly, humble and meager meals began to feature exotic ingredients. Venice began to import foods from other regions of the country, as well as other countries entirely, as part of a concerted effort to display their wealth in all available outlets, including through their food. As a result, Venetian cuisine is now regarded as a set of recipes unique to the region, that feature wonderful combinations of flavors and textures.
Continue reading

Facebooktwitterpinterestmail

Christmas Celebrations And Winter Holiday Traditions in Venice, Italy

Just when you were starting to think that Venice couldn’t possibly be more magical, Christmas transforms this city into a perfect winter wonderland. While cities around the world deck their streets with lights and ornaments, Venice disappears into foggy wintry sights worthy of any painting by Canaletto. For those seeking peace and tranquility during the holidays, Venice may turn out to be the perfect venue full of concerts, hot chocolate, mysterious fog and, occasionally, snow.
Venice Winter St. Mark's Square Holiday Lights Lg

The month of December brings serenity and quiet to the city, due to lack of tourist crowds strolling down the streets. This is the time of year when Venice is taken over by fog and mist, turning the island into a hauntingly beautiful scene. Although Venice does not go over the top with Christmas decorations, one can still find fantasy lights and garlands adorning its main streets and gondolas. Locals take advantage of this chilly time to get together and enjoy a cup of cioccolata calda (hot chocolate) or mulled wine inside cozy bars and enotecas. Contrary to the typical hot chocolate we can taste in the United States, cioccolata calda in this region is rich and thick, often it is made by melting an actual dark chocolate bar in a cup.

The weather is mostly humid and cold, with occasional snow and acqua alta Iflooding) in Saint Marc’s Square. It is advisable to be well prepared when it comes to choosing appropriate clothing; the wind and rain that sometimes take over the city do not make it easy for visitors to walk around. However, there is still a chance of getting lucky with sunny days every now and then. When this happens, Venetians will be more than ready to bundle up and go out for some Christmas shopping around the city.

One of Venice’s most charming experiences during this season is visiting the joyful Christmas markets, or mercatini di Natale, as locals call them. Springing up between Rialto and Saint Marc’s Square and starting from mid-December, the Venetian Christmas markets are a cheerful exhibition of Venice’s most exquisite arts and crafts. Some of these markets offer fine handcrafted articles like purses, wallets, stationery, jewelry, and christmas ornaments. Others offer fine Venetian products that range from gorgeous Murano Glass to elegant Burano lace, to hand-embroidered fabrics, to antique and vintage items. Typical food and beverages are also part of this show, sometimes accompanied by live music. It is also common to find a wide selection of Nativity scenes and objects (presepi in Italian), most of them handmade, especially near the Rialto Bridge by the church of San Giovanni Grisostomo. And in spite of it being Christmas-time, the Venice Carnival is never far from people’s minds, as we see colorful hand-made masks being sold at every market. Naturally, the whole city is also adorned with countless Murano Glass decorations, and it is a great idea to visit the island of Murano for the Glass Christmas Celebration (Natale di Vetro), where visitors will be charmed by unique Christmas-themed objects made of Murano Glass.
Venice Winter Giudecca View Snow

While hot chocolate may be the most familiar winter-wonderland drink to Americans, the Christmas markets offer a wide selection of traditional and tasty foods and drinks. Roast chestnuts, chocolates, candied fruit and mulled wine are just some of the yummy treats one can find while browsing the market stalls. The famous panettone, or pandoro (Christmas cake) is found in almost every Venetian home and restaurant around Christmas.

The winter season also brings music and concerts. The churches and opera houses get filled with locals and tourists eager to spend the evening listening to classical music masterpieces. It is easy to find the programs by reading the posters around the city, or by visiting the year’s program online. The church of La Pietà, on Riva degli Schiavoni, usually holds some of the best concerts of Vivaldi music, who was once that church’s composer. Some locations like Ca’ Rezzonico, Palazzo Moncenigo or the Scuola San Rocco hold concerts performing traditional Italian Christmas songs; while at world-famous La Fenice opera theater the winter program ranges from Mozart to Verdi offering wonderful performances. Prices and schedules always vary from place to place, some being free, some charging nominal admission, some requiring the previous booking.
Vivaldi Concert in Venice

While walking around the city with almost no tourist crowds to obstruct the views and waiting for lines, it is also advisable to keep in mind that most tourist attractions are closed on certain days around the holidays. Museums like the Doge’s Palace, the Galleria dell’Accademia, Museo Correr and Ca’ Rezzonico close on both December 26th and January 1st. The Peggy Guggenheim Collection, however, is possibly the only museum in Venice to stay open on the New Year’s Day. Schedules for the Vaporetto (water bus) may also vary and should be taken into consideration for moving around the city.

Hanukkah is also celebrated in Venice, in the part of sestiere Cannaregio known as the Ghetto – the site of the first Jewish ghetto in the world, where Judaism and Jewish traditions are kept alive and one can see beautifully illuminated menorahs, unique Murano Glass judaica, and delicious kosher food prepared for this special celebration.
Venice Winter St. Mark's Square

All these joyful celebrations and performances lead Venetians to the very much awaited Christmas Eve dinner (la vigilia). During this evening, Christmas tables all over Venice overflow with traditional Venetian Christmas Eve dishes mainly focused on fish and seafood: Venetian risotto, ravioli in capon broth, eel, mixed fried fish and an assortment of seafood with vegetables and polenta. When it comes to visitors, they should book the restaurant for Christmas Eve dinner quite early, since many of them tend to run out of seats or simply close that day. Nonetheless, many great Venetian restaurants like La Zucca, Osteria Enoteca Ai Artisti, Alle Testiere, and Trattoria La Furatola, are always open for this special evening. After the Christmas Eve dinner, many Venetians take a stroll down the streets and canals and head to Saint Mark’s Basilica to attend midnight Mass, starting at 11:30pm. The midnight Christmas mass at San Marco is a unique experience for both Venetians and tourists. This night, the Byzantine basilica is lit with hundreds of candles and incense, the famous golden Murano Glass mosaics set aglow, and the entire experience echoes the celebrations of the centuries past. Families and visitors alike flock to San Marco for grand celebratory experience on this special night. But the celebrations don’t stop here; Italians keep on celebrating with the Feast of Santo Stefano, on December 26th, leading the way to the church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari to enjoy a free live concert and choir.

Venice offers a special experience in the winter and around Christmas time, mixing peaceful beauty and the bliss of its wintry canals with ornaments and festive lights, great music, and fine food. Being there around winter holidays brings us closer to those otherworldly visions we recall from ancient paintings. This is what makes Venice possibly the most magical place in the world to spend Christmas and winter holidays.

Facebooktwitterpinterestmail

Best Time To Visit Venice

When you plan a trip to Venice, the first question is “when is the best time to visit Venice?” Venice is always a beautiful place full of infinite charm, yet in different seasons the city can be appreciated in unique ways. Luckily, Venice offers marvelous sights, tourist attractions and joyful festivals throughout the year. As it is well known, the summer months are the most expensive when it comes to accommodation and flights, there are huge crowds, long lines at tourist attractions, and the heat in July and August can be exhausting. On the other hand, the winter months offer a magical experience, if you are up for romantic albeit chilly walks through the deserted alleys of the city. One thing, however, must be remembered when planning a visit to Venice: all moving around is done by foot, or by taking a ride, most often in Vaporetto (Venetian water bus). Continue reading

Facebooktwitterpinterestmail

Venetian Tradition Lives On In Festa del Redentore Or Feast Of The Redeemer

The Festa del Redentore, also known as the Feast of the Redeemer or Redeemer Day, is probably Venice’s most spectacular and cherished celebration. Commemorating the end of the fatal plague that hit Venice during the 1500’s, on the third Sunday of July Venice gets transformed into a magical scene, where boats and gondolas gather in the Venetian Lagoon to take part of the most awaited night spectacle. This is without a doubt the biggest festival in Venice. While Carnevale (the annual Carnival) may be the most popular Venetian festivity among tourists, Redeemer Day remains the most important and authentic of local events. Tourists from every part of the world marvel while Venetians celebrate with gondola races, impressive fireworks and delicious local dishes. This feast is rich in ceremonies, performances and theatricality; it is a jolly reminder of both tragedy and gratitude.

Courtesy of Roberto Trombetta on Flickr

The Feast of the Holy Redeemer takes Venetians back to 1575. Europe had been hit with one of the most deadly of plagues, making Venice lose over 50,000 people in only two years. Belief has it that it spread mainly because of rodents and the poor sanitary conditions in vessels that traveled to the East, which lead people to praise cats as a decisive solution. Others, on the other hand, turned to divine salvation, constantly praying for the plague’s extinction.

The Doge of Venice, Alvise Mocenigo, went as far as promising a magnificent temple dedicated to the Savior for public devotion, should Venice survive the plague. And so it was in 1577, that the city was declared free of the plague, and the Doge commissioned famous architect Andrea Palladio to build a church in the Island of La Giudecca as a sign of humbleness and gratitude. The end of the plague was celebrated with a joyful procession that crossed a temporary bridge towards the small wooden church that would later be known as Il Redentore. The church was consecrated in 1592 by Antonio da Ponte, twelve years after Palladio’s death, but the floating bridge connecting the shores of Zattere and La Giudecca still allows visitors to reach the church during this special celebration every year.

Tourists in Venice during Feast Of The Redeemer

Nowadays, the Feast of the Redeemer is more than just a religious pilgrimage; it is a colorful and joyful celebration, full of fun and extravagance mixed with Venice’s most beautiful sights. The most awaited spectacle of the weekend is the fireworks show. It is the moment that attracts thousands of viewers thanks to the kaleidoscope of colors reflected on the Venetian sky. Preparations for such a spectacle begin quite early on Saturday evening, so one can see people decorating their boats and gondolas with lanterns and garlands, while others arrange their rooftops or balconies to see the show. Others organize dinner including an exquisite aperitivo inside their boats. There’s who cooks for 30 people, there’s who joins only a couple of friends, and there are others who book expensive places in elegant boats. At sunset, however, everyone heads over to Saint Marc’s Bay, eagerly awaiting the night’s show. Starting at 11:30, the sky between the canal of La Giudecca and Saint Marc’s Square is illuminated with dazzling fireworks that last about an hour, flashing bright reflections in every dome and rooftop of the Island. It is a magical spectacle, a magnificent show in which the beauty of Venice is reflected in the waters of Saint Marc’s Bay accompanied by music. Through the charm of the fireworks and the inimitable beauty of the Island, Venice becomes the most fascinating scenery anyone could ever imagine. After the spectacular show of the night, many people head over to the Lido, and peacefully wait for the break of dawn.

The weekend’s festivities end on Sunday, and this day is reserved for religious celebrations. During this last day, a temporary floating bridge of 330 meters connects the church in the Giudecca to the shores of Zattere in the Island of Venice, as it did for the first time hundreds of years ago. People cross this bridge in order to reach the church, Il Redentore, and attend a religious ceremony that commemorates the victims of the plague and the end of the disease. When the religious celebrations are over, it means it is time for the Regatta del Redentore, and people start gathering along the waterfront one more time. It is an ancient tradition that involves several teams of oarsmen racing in gondolas along the canal. It is a competition that attracts many observers who even follow the brightly colored gondolas along the way, while firmly arguing and discussing the match.

Venice_Redentore_Bridge
Wooden bridge to Redentore church built during Festa del Redentore

As with any Italian festivity, there are many events surrounding the Feast of the Redeemer. Needless to say, the whole city is full of special gastronomical treats. Whether at a wine bar, an ice cream shop, or a market on the street, Venice will surely give you a taste of its finest cuisine. Depending on the municipalities and program, the year’s activities change from time to time. There are classical music concerts in churches, sports activities, races, and spectacles.

Getting around the city during this weekend of celebrations is a rather difficult task. Since most of the activities happen on the water, it’s always safe to assume that most of the vaporetto routes will be closed after 8pm Sunday evening. Try to plan accordingly to be able to reach Saint Marc’s Square much before the fireworks start.

The best place to watch the fireworks is between Saint Marc’s Square and the Island of La Giudecca, which gets crowded very fast due to the Venetians booking preferred places on land for dinner with friends and family. If you are ok with a more distant view of the fireworks, you can go to less busy places like the Lido, the Riva degli Schiavoni or the Rio de Sant’Elena.   Whether on water or on land, one thing is for sure: this Venetian celebration is not to be missed. During Festa del Redentore we see the themes so close to the heart of every Venetian and so frequent in Venetian history: tragedy and divinity, darkness and fantasy, overcoming obstacles, gathering strength, celebrating, and rejoicing.

Facebooktwitterpinterestmail

Venice and The Lion of St. Mark: History, Mystery, and Glory

Donato Veneziano Painting Winged Lion inside Doges Palace
Everyone who visits Venice can’t help but notice the city’s special relationship with lions. In Venice lions are everywhere: on pedestals, on walls, on paintings inside Venice’s museums and churches, and even on door bells of apartment buildings. With wings and without, resting upon a book, or standing proudly on pedestals, lions seem to at once own and protect this magical city. So what is the nature of Venice’s special relationship with this mighty animal and why has Venice for centuries been inseparable from the image of a winged lion?The answer goes deep into the ancient history, all the way to the ninth century, to be exact. Having grown and developed mighty military and economic presence on the Mediterranean, by the ninth century Venice sought to establish itself as a significant regional power that would be recognized as such by neighbors close and far. Back in those days that meant boasting not just military and economic but also religious significance, giving the government additional legitimacy in the eyes of its citizens, friends, and enemies. To help with that mission, two Venetian merchants named Buono and Rustico developed a bold plan to steal the body of St. Mark from largely Muslim Egypt, where it was resting in one of Alexandria’s churches, and secretly bring it to Venice. Continue reading
Facebooktwitterpinterestmail

Venice Carnival – A Chance to See Venice of the Centuries Past

Carnivals are costumed festivities which bring together the traditions of dress-up, masquerades, colorful fairs, and street performances. Many countries, regions and towns traditionally have held carnivals right before Christian Lent. Translated from Latin, the word Carnival itself actually means “farewell to meat”. While the roots of Christian carnivals go back to the pagan traditions of Roman Empire, the first carnivals associated with Christianity appeared in various European towns around the IX century AD.

The first mention of the Carnival in Venice dates to year 1094 AD. Most likely Venetian Carnival became an annual event after 1162, the year when people gathered in Venice’s St. Mark’s square to celebrate victory in the war with Aquilea by dancing, singing, eating and drinking.

The most famous accessory of the Venetian Carnival is, of course, the mask, so you may be surprised to learn that no masks were actually worn during Carnivals until XIII to XIV century. The creation of an authentic Venetian mask is an ancient and complicated process. The gypsum form is filled with a layer of papier-mache made using a special recipe. The resulting form is set aside to dry, then polished and the holes are cut through for the eyes. A layer of paint is then often used to make the masks look antique. The last stage of mask creation is decorating – a slow and elaborate process with use of acrylic paints, real gold and silver foils, enamel, expensive fabrics, Swarovski crystals, plumes, beads and various other elements limited only by the fantasy and talent of the artist who creates the mask. Continue reading

Facebooktwitterpinterestmail