Venice floating bridge ?

[flip8683]

Hello We are travelling to Venice in October and started our research and came across this on Google maps. Is this a floating bridge that we can walk across ? Thanks https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ve...4!4d12.3155151

[Hlitner]

Ahhh, so you have stumbled on the phantom bridge :). My understanding is that it does actually exist, but only on November 21st of each year. It is a long time tradition to celebrate the ending of the Plague of 1630. You can probably Google the complex story and history. Any other day of the year and there is no bridge spanning the Grand Canal at this location.

 

Hank

[flip8683]

Thanks Hank

[Grandma Cruising]

It’s not on November 21st. It’s called the Redentore festival. This year it’s on the weekend on July 14/15. We will be there with Azamara. They put the bridge across the Guidecca Canal to the Church of Redentore. As you say it’s to celebrate the end of the plague. There are fireworks on the Saturday night, the bridge is blessed the next day and you can walk across it, then on the Sunday afternoon they have a regatta in the Guidecca Canal. This website has information about it https://www.theveniceinsider.com/festa-del-redentore-insider-tips/

 

 

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[courtstenoklf]

Thanks for the info! We are in Venice that weekend before our cruise.

[Grandma Cruising]

Our cruise finishes in Venice and has 2 nights there for the festival. I think Venice will be very very busy that weekend!

 

 

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[cruisemom42]

It’s not on November 21st. It’s called the Redentore festival. This year it’s on the weekend on July 14/15. We will be there with Azamara. They put the bridge across the Guidecca Canal to the Church of Redentore. As you say it’s to celebrate the end of the plague. There are fireworks on the Saturday night, the bridge is blessed the next day and you can walk across it, then on the Sunday afternoon they have a regatta in the Guidecca Canal. This website has information about it https://www.theveniceinsider.com/festa-del-redentore-insider-tips/

 

 

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There is a similar festival in the Fall, the Festa della Salute also celebrating the end of (a different season of) the plague. It's held in Santa Maria della Salute church and it is the one Hank refers to, held in November. It also involves a temporary bridge across the Grand Canal. ("Salute" means "health" in Italian.)

 

http://www.italyheaven.co.uk/veneto/venice/festadellasalute.html

 

My son and I were there for this celebration last year. We walked across the bridge, which was fun, and enjoyed the "street fair" atmosphere in the nearby piazza where traditional food and drink was being sold. (And balloons, lots and lots of balloons....)

 

What was NOT fun was the crush in front of the church, trying to get inside -- it was very chaotic and despite standing there for the best part of an hour we hardly moved a foot in the line -- because the line was just a concept and as more friends and families arrived, they just joined others already standing in the "line" in front of us. :eek: Eventually we gave up and went in search of the traditional meal of the day: castradina.

[Grandma Cruising]

Thanks for that - I hadn’t heard about the November festival. I’ll take your warning and not try to get in the church!

 

 

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