May is a wonderfully bustling month from start to finish. There’s the Giro dìItalia revving up this weekend on Lido, our colorful women’s regata following by the Festival of the Purple Artichoke on Sant’Erasmo on Sunday. May is also the Mese del Decoro e Rispetto per la Città, Month of Decorum and Respect for the City. One of the first scheduled activities is a water procession, or Corteo of bache a remi (rowed boats) down the Grand Canal.
The procession will depart from the rail station at about 10:00, and end in the bacino at about 10:50, and will include the Serenissima, peata, gondole, private boats from all the remiere in the city, the lagoon, and even the river Brenta, all flying the Venetian flag; but in particular they’ve invited the over 700 maciarele* (young people), who row, each of who that participates will be recognized by the Mayor as they pass Ca’ Farsetti with a parchment inscribed, “Youth with Hope for the Voga alla Veneta.”
The city is in a constant struggle in how to both provide motorized transportation tourists and merchandise about the city and lagoon without destroying the very ambience that’s required for its existence…the same that’s required for traditional lagoon boats to navigate. The procession is to demostrate the support of those devoted to maintaining the voga as a part of Venetian and lagoon life, and respect for the city.
- Sat, May 9
- 10:00 departure from the Ferrovia
- 10:50 arrival and alzaremi San Marco
* In Venetian, maciarele refers to kids, and comes from the name for baby go, or ghiozzo fish.