It’s regatta time!

…Water flows through the veins of every Venetian, it’s a special kind of water, a mixture of fresh water from the mountains infused with sea water from the Adriatic, laced with salt, wind and determination….

_{The Historic Regatta, Venice – the first Sunday in September. This year it’s Sunday, 1st September, 2024}

The first Sunday in September is always a special day in Venice. It’s the day of the ‘Regata Storica’ the Historic Regatta. It’s the day when Venetians turn out in huge numbers to row and to support the rowers on the Grand Canal and in the Bacino San Marco (St Mark’s Basin). Rowers from rowing clubs all over the lagoon compete to win glory and honour for their clubs. For Venetian rowers everything is at stake.

Sunday, 1st September, 2024 – Here’s a summary of the events of the day:

15.15 (3.15 pm) – First there’s a general parade the ‘Corteo Storico – Sportivo’ which is a colourful parade along the Grand Canal, with traditional boats and rowers in historic costumes. Here the rowing clubs of Venice proudly display their boats.

16.00 (4.00 pm) – MACIARELE AND SCHIE REGATTA: two-oar regatta in mascarete boats – classes for children. Categories:

• Maciarele senior (under 14 years). Course: from Punta della Dogana to Ca’ Foscari
• Schie (under 10 years). Course: from Rialto to Ca’ Foscari
• Maciarele Junior (under 12 years). Course: from San Stae to Ca’ Foscari
• ‘schie’ means shrimps in Venetian dialect and I think ‘maciarele’ are minnows

16.30 (4.30 pm) – YOUNG ROWERS (WOMEN) TWIN-OARED MASCARETE REGATTA

Course: St. Mark’s Bay, Grand Canal, around the paleto in front of Ca’ Farsetti, to finish at Ca’ Foscari.

16.50 (4.50 pm) – YOUNG ROWERS (MEN) TWIN-OARED PUPPARINI REGATTA

Course: St. Mark’s Bay, Grand Canal, around the paleto in front of Ca’ Farsetti, to finish at Ca’ Foscari.

1. White: Venuti Pietro Nicolò – Rinaldin Gianluca
2. Yellow: Sarto Nicolò – Musoni Nicola
3. Purple: Rosan Gabriele – Bonacin Nicolò
4. Light blue: Smerghetto Samuele – Nardin Alessandro
5. Red: Callegari Nicolò – Bortolan Alberto
6. Green: Rizzi Leonardo Ryan – Vorano Riccardo
7. Orange: Padoan Nicolò – Rendine Andrea Giovanni
8. Pink: Lazzarini Davide – Santin Tommaso
9. Brown: Redolfi Tezzat Alvise – Ballarin Riccardo
   Reserve: Lisatti Alvise – Carli Giacomo
10. _{Race details, timetable and participants from ^{www.regatastoricavenezia.it}}

17.10 (5.10 pm) – SIX-OARED CAORLINE REGATTA – these are my favourite boats here in Venice. The sturdy workhorse of the lagoon. Here at the Regata Storica there are 6 rowers per boat. Teams come from Caorle, Jesolo, Cavallino, Lido, Murano, Giudecca and Malcontenta (Brenta) to compete.

Course: St. Mark’s Bay, Grand Canal, Rialto (around the paleto in front of San Marcuola), and back down the Grand Canal to finish at Ca’ Foscari.

1. White: Malcontenta, Voga Riviera Del Brenta
2. Yellow: Cavallino Treporti 2, Remiera Cavallino
3. Purple: Città di Caorle, Vogaepara Burano
4. Light blue: Murano, Remiera Casteo
5. Red: Lido 2, Club Nautico San Marco
6. Green:Lido 1, Club Nautico San Marco
7. Orange:Jesolo, Remiera Jesolo
8. Pink: Dolo, Canottieri Giudecca
9. Brown: Cavallino Treporti 1, Canottieri Treporti

INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITIES BOAT CHALLENGE
After the Caorline have finished racing and the Gondolini final has taken place, there is an exciting race between various universities.

This is a challenge of ‘galeoni’ boats (galleons) usually eight oars (sometimes more). These crews come from Venice’s Ca’ Foscari University and Iuav University of Venice versus the teams of various other universities.
Course: From Rialto to Ca’ Foscari.

17.40 (5.40 pm) – WOMEN’S TWIN-OARED MASCARETE REGATTA

Course: St. Mark’s Bay, Grand Canal, Rialto (around the paleto in front of San Marcuola), and back down the Grand Canal to finish at Ca’ Foscari. Nine mascarete boats in the race – each identified by colour.

1. White: Almansi Elena – Ghigi Viola
2. Yellow: Bon Silvia – Scarpa Debora
3. Purple: Tosi Valentina – Ragazzi Giorgia
4. Light blue: Nazzari Claudia – Nazzari Sara
5. Red: Tagliapietra Magda – Catanzaro Romina
6. Green: Favaretto Margherita – Tagliapietra Giulia
7. Orange: Schiavon Luisella – Vignotto Lara
8. Pink: Davanzo Luigina – Caporal Mary Jane
9. Brown: Cimarosto Nausicaa – Mao Anna
   Reserve: Ballarin Lisa – De Poli Veronica

18.10 (6.10 pm) – TWIN-OARED GONDOLINI REGATTA

Course: St. Mark’s, Grand Canal, Rialto (around the paleto in front of San Marcuola), and back down the Grand Canal to finish at Ca’ Foscari. All brightly coloured for easy identification.

• Brown: Zaniol Matteo – Trabuio Nicolo
  White: Ortica Andrea – Colombi Jacopo
• Yellow: Marangon Giacomo – Lazzarini Gabriele
• Purple: Bertoldini Andrea – Vecchiato Simone
• Light blue: Secco Alessandro – Redolfi Tezzat Ivo
• Red: Pecoraro Matteo – Rossi Maurizio
• Green: D’este Alvise – Colombi Mattia
• Orange: Costantini Simone – Busetto Federico
• Pink: Pagan Giuliano – Santi Tommaso

_{The blessing of the gondolini – La Salute: photo Regata Storica: www.regatastoricavenezia.it}

_{Mascareta – Fast, light, great for regatta racing. Typically 6-8 metres in length – 1-4 rowers.}

Now over to our hero – the gondola…..

The symbol of Venice has to be the gondola, originally a military boat used for keeping enemies out of the lagoon and away from St Mark’s. The ‘ferro’ ironwork on the front of the gondola was actually a powerful weapon – equivalent to a bayonet on a soldier’s gun. Today the ‘ferro’ is regarded in folklore terms as the Doge’s hat, Rialto Bridge and the six ‘sestieri’ districts of Venice – however this is a modern interpretation, in the old days the ‘ferro’ was designed to appear suddenly and silently from a misty lagoon and impale or even decapitate your enemies…..

The gondola is propelled by a gondolier who stands at the stern of the boat. He uses the oar to propel the gondola forwards and to control its direction (like a rudder). The oar is pivoted around a wooden forcola (a bit like a fulcrum). The forcola is carefully carved out of hard wood. There are still a handful of forcola makers working in Venice today.

For the full programme of regatta events this weekend – please visit: Regata Storica Venezia

The Venetians excel at these wonderful pomp and ceremony events. You can read more here – in a short article I wrote recently on my Grand Tourist site: The Regata Storica, Venezia

Just a few more boat types that you’ll see in the lagoon…..

_{Above left – Il Nuovo Trionfo, Sailing ship (1920s), proper old fashioned trabaccolo – currently under restoration in Venice. Centre – the lagoon, largest natural, safe anchorage for boats in Northern Adriatic. Gondola repair yard. Squero di San Trovaso.}

A FINAL NOTE – boats and the sea are intrinsic to Venice and the Venetian way of life. Rowing Venetian style is a tradition and a rite of passage for young Venetians. The rowing tradition ‘voga alla veneziana’ has to be maintained and encouraged, as the Venetians say…..’Onorare la tradizione vuol dire alimentare la fiamma, non vuol dire adorare le ceneri…’ which translates as …..to honour the tradition, that’s to say feed the flame(s), rather than admiring the ashes………. In other words the tradition has to be kept alive! That tradition has been kept alive now since the earliest days of the Venetian Republic via the huge naval battles of the 15th and 16th century to the rowing clubs of the present day. A tradition with the sea from the Battle of Lepanto to the skiff on the lagoon – it’s in their blood, it’s in their veins….

_{In 1571 Venice as part of the ‘Holy League’ defeated the Turks at the Battle of Lepanto, a battle fought with rowing boats!!}

Notes – I’d recommend further reading as follows:

• 1/ Gilberto Penzo’s fantastic and detailed Barche Veneziane (see below): Venice Boats di Gilberto Penzo the most detailed and thoughtful illustrated guide to Venetian boats.
• 2/ Sketches from: Barche a Venezia – brilliantly detailed and interesting.
• 3/ Giovanni Giusto – Venice Councillor tasked with ‘Protection of the Traditions’ – he’s well worth a follow on Facebook – interesting & charismatic. https://www.facebook.com/ociocheteconto/?locale=it_IT
• 4/ My own articles on Venice, The Lagoon and Boats – perhaps start with: Il Nuovo Trionfo then perhaps Ernest Hemingway, Venetian Lagoon – there are many others on my blog: www.greyhoundtrainers.com
• 5/ If you’d like to join me for my next small group tour in Venice, it’s the end of October and based on Lido – here’s the link: Venice in October-November, 2024

_{Il Nuovo Trionfo – a restored trabaccolo (currently in the shipyard) – Gilberto Penzo’s book (right)}

_{The blessing of the ‘gondolini’ at the Regata Storica – photo: Regata Storica.}

A NOTE ON THE AUTHOR – Janet Simmonds (nee Panagakis) is a British-born tour guide, writer and travel company owner. Born in Liverpool with a slightly Greek grand-father and a very Greek great grand-father she has a special affinity with the history, culture and art of the Mediterranean, especially Italy and Greece. She studied Geography and Art History at the Universities of Oxford and Manchester, Janet has spent most of her adult life running specialist travel companies and travelling extensively. Several times a year she leads small groups to different parts of Europe. Most recently to Venice, Naples, Trieste, Basilicata and Athens.

• She writes about her travels on her blog: www.greyhoundtrainers.com
• Janet is also the owner of specialist travel company Grand Tourist which offers unique, tailor-made travel for individuals, couples and small groups.
• The web site is www.grand-tourist.com

27th August 2024