Resources - Venice: A Travel Guide to Murano Glass, Carnival Masks, Gondolas, Lace, Paper and More - page 76

July
Il Redentore (Feast of the Redeemer)
Third Sunday in July
This procession of the city's historic gondolas commemorates the end of a plague epidemic that struck Venice
in 1576 and is the oldest continuously celebrated festival in the city. On the Saturday before the religious fest-
ival, boats and their rowers gather in the lagoon between Saint Mark's Square and the Giudecca, their rowers
bedecked in finery, and it's a great chance to see a large number of historic lagoon craft. A flotilla of connected
boats forms the foundation for a temporary bridge across the canal to the island of Giudecca.
September
Regata Storica (Historic Regatta)
First Sunday in September
www.regatastoricavenezia.it
This popular race includes four categories of rowers—youths, women, rowers of a canoe-like craft called a
caorlina , and gondoliers. The gondolas are manned by two rowers, and the race is eagerly followed. Prior to
the race you can watch a procession of historic gondolas with people dressed in Renaissance costume. A
similar historic regatta takes place on Burano during the third week of September.