A Month In Venice

One of the lesser known festivals in Venice is The Feast of the Redeemer. Originally it was to celebrate the end of the bubonic plague which ended in 1576 and ended up killing tens of thousands of citizens of Venice. Certainly not your typical celebration by any means as this is a celebration truly unique to this city.

This time of year is the only time when the island of Giudecca is accessible by foot as a floating foot bridge is constructed to allow for the Doge of Venice to cross to this island. As you probably can guess the majority of the celebrations for this festival occur on this island
as Giudecca becomes a center for activity in the city.

This celebration is marked by many fireworks that can be seen throughout the city but are best viewed in the Dorsoduro district. Also many Venetians choose to eat elaborate meals on their boats at night in the Grand Canal in order to honor those that died and to give thanks for those that continued to live on. What you might expect at this time of year is many bands and street performances similar to what you would see during a historical regatta or Carnvale. This celebration typically lasts for an entire week and begins about mid July around the 16th of the month.

For many Americans you can consider this a celebration of thanksgiving similar to what we have in November. Like in America this celebration is steeped in tradition and centers around the family. Unlike the American celebration of thanksgiving many festivities occur outside of the home and with other families that are also celebrating. So there is a contrast in cultures that exists between these two celebrations. For some that are just visiting I would check to see what your hotel offers during this time of year. Since you are not a local you might feel left out but sometimes a hotel will try to include you in the celebration and make you feel more like a local.

The island of Giudecca was originally called Spinalunga most likely after the shape of the island. You see Spinalunga means a long spine of rock which is pretty much the shape of Giudecca. This island is in the Dorsoduro district of Venice and it is right off the Grand Canal so it should be easy to get to.

The term Giudecca is derived from the Jewish inhabitants who used to live there at one time. Later the island became more of an industrial center with even a film studio located there. Now this is one of the most exclusive places to live in the entire Venetian lagoon as it is sought after for its many palaces with gardens that you do not see in the city of Venice.

This part of Venice is where most of the real inhabitants live and work. This is definitely not a tourist trap however there are more and more hotels opening all the time. If you want to really get a feel for living in the city I would stay on this island as the people here are real and the surrounding atmosphere is not catered to just tourists.

However you may wonder what is there to see on this island? Well for one you can see the historical gardens that you do not find anywhere else. As there are many short term apartment buildings here you should not have trouble staying for a period of time here.

I would like to point out that Giudecca is not just one island but it is a chain of eight islands like Venice all networked by a bridges. You may not see the ornate work that some of the other bridges have in Venice as this is a place overlooked by many tourists who only come for a day.

There are plenty of restaurants on this island and a lot of them are fairly good. You certainly should not find too many tourist traps here. However as this island is not as frequented by tourists the locals might not be willing to speak to you in English so having a moderate grasp of the Italian language will go far here. One of the eyesores of the island is the industrial section.  You see the industrial section of this island lost most of its work after the second world war. So in contrast with some of the main islands you will see some abandoned and ruined buildings in an old industrial park. It really does not add much character to the island and I am sure that eventually these eyesores will be replaced with something better, hopefully soon. One of the worst things the city rulers can do is turn this island into another tourist trap. I would much rather see this part of Venice kept as real as possible.

Venice’s history is centered on maritime activities. The cities very survival depended upon having a well trained group of maritime sailors who could outwit and outrun all around them.  Such history spawned Venice’s Historical Regatta which is meant to showcase the mastery of the sea and the ships that ride upon her.

The first Sunday of September is when this event takes place. There are many other Regatta’s from the various islands in the Venetian lagoon that are held all throughout the year but the true Regata storica takes place at this time.

This race is very similar in tone and shape to the Palio of Sienna. You see in this race like the Palio the boats are from their respective neighborhoods and each neighborhood turns out to root on their team of rowers who are competing for the honor of winning the race.

What is probably of interest of the tourists that visit at this time is the various processions of boats that proceed down the Grand Canal. First you have the bisonni or the 8 oared gondolas then the balotine which are 6 oared gondolas then following this is the decorative boats from the various rowing clubs. Following this procession of boats is a regatta for the children which is then followed by a race just for the women then a race of two oared gondolas which represent each neighborhood. At the regattas conclusion the whole of Venice comes alive with a city wide celebration that fills each canal and street with merchants and street entertainers.

If you are fortunate to be in Venice during this time I am sure you will not be bored with what is going on at this time. I would say that this festival would even rival the Carnival of Venice, although I may get some heat for saying this but I am willing to take it.

Finding cheap accommodations in Venice Italy is not an easy task. Let’s face it the words budget and Venice Italy are not usually mixed in the same sentence together. It is certainly not what the town is best known for that is for sure.

However the following posts should help out the average reader in saving some money on their stay in Venice. It should certainly help out those students looking for budget accommodations as well.

Budget Hotels in Castello

Budget Hotels in San Croce

Budget Hotels in Cannaregio

Budget Hotels in San Marco

Budget Hotels in Dorsoduro

For those that want a longer stay be sure to visit my post on student apartments in Venice Italy. It is certainly worth a look in my opinion.

Staying in Venice is an expensive venture. However I hope my recent series on budget hotels in Venice have helped some of my readers. Alas this is really only helpful if you wish to stay for a couple of days or perhaps a week. What are you going to do if you wish to stay in Venice for an extended period of time? I have many friends who are artists and would love to stay in this city just to absorb the atmosphere and to hone their craft. What options do they have as students to stay in Venice? Well fortunately there are many good search engines and directories you can use to find ideal locations to stay and that will hopefully fit into a tight budget as well.

The very first place I would look is Venice Apartments.org as they seem to have the most comprehensive listing of available flats to rent. Not only will this site help you find a great apartment but they also have some “inside” information on how not to get cheated in this wonderful city. What I found to be particularly good is the tips and tricks section of the website as the information contained leads me to some new places to eat and see. That alone was worth the visit in my opinion.

The second place to look would be the great site of Venice By.com which is another hotel search engine. However they have a great listing of apartments that may overlap with the Venice Apartments.org. This site is different in its comprehensives listing of restaurants and local attractions that is sure to keep any person busy while staying in the area.

Lastly I would check out wenicevenice.it as a place to look for an apartment. This is not a comprehensive listing of apartments and the focus seems to be apartments in the Dorsoduro district. This district seems to be particularly popular with the student crowd so I would check it out if that is what you are looking for.

Hopefully this advice will help any student looking for an flat in Venice. Budget accommodations are not really easy to find in this city as there is a scarcity and a high demand from visitors. However do not give up there are many hidden gems out there if you are willing to search for them. Just keep looking.