By now all the world knows — the world that reads this blog — that the feast of the Redentore is a huge event here, and has been for 441 years, counting this year.
The food, the fireworks, the votive bridge, the races, the church — it’s all fabulous. Confirmed by the pharmacist dryly this morning, “Tomorrow everyone will be in here with headaches, with stomach-aches, with everything-aches…”.
But yesterday I got an unexpected glimpse behind the curtain, as it were. The fireworks staging area was in full cry, making the most of the area at the farthest corner of the Arsenale that has been walled-off for eventual repairs to bits of MOSE.
As the 5.2 vaporetto left the Bacini stop behind, heading toward the Lido, I took a quick series of photos of the panoply of preparation:
Heading east…What ho — we have company.Floating platforms are awaiting loads of fireworks, brought here in trucks on other floating platforms, like the grocery trucks that resupply the supermarkets.Everything that’s being unloaded atop the wall is going to be transferred to its position in the regiment destined to be exploded tonight.This is roughly what “the rockets’ red glare” looks like when it’s at home.It’s hard to believe all those explosives fit into those few trucks. I’m sure there’s an explanation. Probably “One hundred deliveries” covers it.Perhaps this is what retired bomb-squad experts do as extra work. And an unintended but very willing shout-out to the “Parente Fireworks” escadrille. Many of the greatest names in pyrotechnics are Italian: Grucci, Zambelli….. We’ll see how the Parente group compares.Just like the old song, “Love and marriage…horse and carriage…” we have “fireworks and watermelon.” You can eat watermelon whenever you want, but if you don’t have it tonight … well, I don’t know what would happen. Maybe the fireworks wouldn’t go off.
Am I the only person who, if I had been in Venice for the Redentore, would have been cowering inside, away from the windows, probably sporting a fetching pair of ear-defenders? I’ve never enjoyed fireworks on any scale, from a child, and the one time I was in Venice over New Year, really hated it! November 5th here sees me in an inside room…..
But your pictures are fascinating, and show how much work and organisation must go into all the show. Thank you again for being a “recording angel”.
I’m sorry you don’t like fireworks, but you’re certainly not the only one, for sure. Seeing that fireworks are the Main Event of the festivities, though, a wise and forewarned person simply wouldn’t come here on the third Saturday in July….
2 Comments
Am I the only person who, if I had been in Venice for the Redentore, would have been cowering inside, away from the windows, probably sporting a fetching pair of ear-defenders? I’ve never enjoyed fireworks on any scale, from a child, and the one time I was in Venice over New Year, really hated it! November 5th here sees me in an inside room…..
But your pictures are fascinating, and show how much work and organisation must go into all the show. Thank you again for being a “recording angel”.
I’m sorry you don’t like fireworks, but you’re certainly not the only one, for sure. Seeing that fireworks are the Main Event of the festivities, though, a wise and forewarned person simply wouldn’t come here on the third Saturday in July….