Toso Fei tells Canal’s Secrets on a summer’s eve
Jul 11, 2010 VIVA la voga
I am a member (well, president, actually, although there are five of us that function as sort a cumulative president, I would say) of VIVA (Voga per l’Identità Veneta), an association that promotes the voga alla veneta, the Venetian rowing style (standing up, facing forward) indigenous to Venice and the lagoon. It’s becoming increasing difficult to maintain this 1000-year-old patrimonial activity, as the lagoon becomes almost unnavigable due to wave motion of speeding motor traffic. Our goal: get the residential remo (oar) back in the rio – make the canals safe for both oar and outboard.
Last Thursday, with the support of the Municipalità di Venezia, VIVA organized a quintessentially Venetian event known as a fresco. This is not the classic watercolor-on-plaster sort of fresco, mind you, but a term originating in the 16th (?) century referring to a evening gathering in Canal Grande that involves socializing, eating, drinking, and just as often music and singing. Our inaugurational fresco was instead letterario, and we were beside ourselves to be able to host Alberto Toso Fei, beloved author of Venetian Legends and Ghost Stories, Shakespeare in Venice, The Ruyi, and most recently Secrets of the Grand Canal (due out in English in the very near future). Stop after stop, he recounted literally centuries of secrets to an adoring public as the fleet made its way up the Canal from the Salute to San Marcuola.
After some confusion at the departure point resulting from an extraordinarily enthusiastic turnout, the evening turned out to be a spectacular one in every way. The weather was ideal, the multicolored, traditional decorative lanterns glowed the length of the 50-year-old caorlina, and Toso Fei, atop it, was inexhaustible, both in his unflagging energy and in the stockpile of tales he had to tell. The nautical audience, bobbing before him in the estimated 50 to 100 boats of all shapes and sizes, remained transfixed to hear recounts of counts and countesses, scoundrels and kings, writers and musicians, princes, poets, priests and peasants whose fortunes and misfortunes were sprinkled along this historic waterway only waiting to be pescata di nuovo, retrieved once again. “Che emozione,” was a common comment, “so emotional.” “Un bel momento per Venezia,” a beautiful moment for Venice, another.
We ramped up a canal-full of curiosity about the boats, the voga (we proudly piloted the traditional batelle of Arzanà in our white tank tops with magenta Viva emblem), and for our organization — and rightly so: the reclamation of the voga may be the thing that keeps the city from turning into one fat tourist trap. (Alright, yes, I could be biased…)
The Municipalità di Venezia was thrilled with how things went, and as a result, our next outing is planned for Wednesday, the 21st of July, 8:30 – 11 p.m., this time, with traditional Venetian music and song from the 1400s to present day.
If you happen to be in the city and are interested in observing this phenomenon, or just tapping your toes along to the music, you’ll be able to meet up with the corteo on foot at the various stops along the canal (or hire your own gondola, perhaps). More details to come, here and on the VivaVogaVeneta.org website. In the meantime, VIVA la voga!
Floating Carnevale
Feb 14, 2010 About Venice, VIVA la voga
Judging by the crowds that lined bridges as well as the number of participating boats and rowers, the Corteo Carnevale isbecoming almost as popular as the Vogalonga.
This costumed procession is held on the first weekend of the two-week long Carnevale, open to anyone and everyone that knows how to row Venetian-style and can get their hands on an oar. Costumes range from simple to ornate, sensational to silly (keep your eyes peeled for the peanut), handmade to half-baked. The procession winds its way up the Grand Canal from the Salute, and is followed by a festa in the Canale Cannaregio, with a flying rat, awards for best costume and a party running the length of the fondamenta.
For more superb photos of this spectacular event, visit vogavenezia.com
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The Gondola Girls
Apr 17, 2009 VIVA la voga, Vita venexiàn
On the 10th of May in the afternoon, there will be ten gondolas that instead of carrying contented travelers through calm canals, will course colorfully across the lagoon, each with a crew of four women determined to ciapàr bandiera, bring home the bacon.
Gathering to have their photo taken for the local rag, the Gazzettino, these ebullient women, whether young and not-so-young, whether expert, novice, or enthusiast, are thinking of nothing other than blistering past all their competitors in the first-ever all-woman race in gondola. I’ll be rowing in one alai, or in the second position of the four with two campionesse and two, ehm, appassionate (If I manage not to collapse mezza regata I will consider the event a personal success).
EVVAI…
Presenting the Preview
Apr 16, 2009 VIVA la voga
We’re happy to announce the completion of the preview/demo/promo of our documentary-in-progress. We’ll be using this as our “biglietto da visita” as we gather funding…but I have to say the responses so far have been extremely positive, for which we are grateful. There is an Italian version of the preview as well, and the site will be translated into Italian very soon as well.
Beyond the Gondola: Where Hidden Venice Lives from Living Venice on Vimeo.
We’ve added a sidebar link to make it easy to locate the preview in the future. For complete information on the documentary project and to make a contribution, please see vogadoc.org.
Women Make Waves in the Regata Storica
Aug 31, 2008 VIVA la voga, Vita venexiàn
I know everyone’s out on their last summer picnic weekend, but when you get back, here’s a re-worked press release we hope will gets some visibility beyond Italian borders (the Italian press has already made appointments for pre-festival photos!):
On Sunday, September 7th, for the first time ever, an all-women crew will row the Serenissima, the lead galley in the most elaborate of Venice’s annual water-festivals, the Regata Storica. They’ll all be from our very own Remiera Cannaregio, and, I’m delighted to say I’ll among them!
The scandolous idea of having only vogatrici (female rowers) lead this procession famossima was proposed by Giovanni Giusto, master stonecutter and restorer, and Head Coordinator of the over 80 boat clubs that support the unique voga alla veneta rowing style (you know standing up, facing forward, made famous by gondoliers). “Maintaining the voga tradition,” smiles Giusto, “doesn’t mean things have to always be done exactly the same!”
For millennia, the voga alla veneta was the only way all the light, shallow craft, both commercial and personal, were propelled across the lagoon and throughout Venice’s intricate canal system. It’s still a passion of many a local for leisure and sport. It’s also one of the few authentic Venetian activities that, thanks to stalwarts like Giusto, has not been appropriated by the tourist trade; and such, it remains one of the living links to the Venice of centuries past and the cradle of vera venezianità .
The serene voga alla veneta struggles to survive among the choppy seas created by the ever-increasing number of motor craft, both pleasure and tourist transport, that criss-cross the lagoon incessantly. But the rowers are a determined lot, not to be counted among the cynics who resign a vital Venice to the past tense. Ask any vogatori, including the eighteen fie (women) you’ll spot in the Serenissma on September 7th.
If you’ll be attending the festival – or anytime you spot voga enthusiasts – feel free to show your support with a shout of Viva le donne, viva la voga!
