It’s a whole different Redentore at water level, in the area designated for row boats only, just in front of the exclusive (and expensive) private party along the fondamenta at the Punta della Dogana.
The moon was full and the weather ideal — more like May than July. Music from decadent disco barges each completing to have its entertainment reign supreme wafted across the water, while we picnicked on a combination of traditional and contemporary dishes in boats decorated with frasche fresche (fresh branches) and multicolored lanterns that grew brighter as the sky darkened. About dessert time, kayakers began to appear like floating firecracking-seeking fireflies, their headlamps flashing as they bobbed about among the mass of anchored craft. Gondole threaded their way among boats of all sizes seeking the ideal spot from which to view the upcoming pyrotechnics (though it’s hard to find a bad one).
These photos are hardly tack-sharp, a difficult thing to attain from atop one floating vessel shooting more of the same — but you’ll get the idea. It was truly a spectacular display (with plenty of red, white and green this year, to commemorate Italy’s 150th anniversary) from sequences of more subtle pah-pah-pah-pah-pop cannon shots that seem to race along the canal’s edge, to a canopies of explosions that seemed to span the entire night sky, campanile to campanile, riva to riva. It went something like this…
Venice Redentore 2011 – Images by Nan McElroy
And for a truly spectacular video perspective, see
[youtube]iYDUqyxf2zc[/youtube]
It sounds and looks like it was spectacular (yes, I could HEAR the fireworks, all the way to California)! Thank you so much for this wonderful post~
Terrific, its on my bucket list. Enjoy for me too!
Wow. For being on a floating vessel these are some great shots! I love when you had the silhouettes of the people and boats in the shots as well.
Brava!
The Wanderfull Traveler
Truly magical photos! Some of the ones with figures or just silhouettes in the foreground and lanterns make me think of the opening of Fellini’s Casanova: though the images here are actually much more beautiful (as beauty was not exactly what Fellini was entirely up to in that oddly staged film-set opening). I saw the fireworks live in person but I’m certainly glad not to have missed these photos of yours.
Bookmarking this — assuredly the first and last time I will ever be compared to Fellini, however remotely. (Tranquillo, Federico…)
There was lots more much less romantic to recount having to do with too strong a tide and not enough anchors, but that’s a whole other post…