A sensational, greatly effective picture, the basin of St. Mark lit up in the night by multicoloured reflections. It is Festa del Redentore, the most appealing rendez-vous in July, the most important event dedicated to ancient city traditions together with Carnival and the Historic Regatta. Every year, for over four centuries, it returns on the third Sunday of the month with its ancient rites: the procession to the church on the Giudecca over a floating bridge and the great nocturnal fête on the water in St. Mark’s basin.

Festa del Redentore is a tradition that dates back to 1577. It was first held to celebrate the city's deliverance from a terrible plague, and the construction of Palladio's 'Redentore' (Redeemer) Church had been commissioned for the same reason. The Church, built on the Island of the Giudecca, can still be reached by pilgrims during the festival by means of an impressive 330-metre-long pontoon bridge. The 'Redentore' celebrations include a solemn religious service and procession presided over by the patriarch of the city, and the weekend ends with a series of gondola races, organized as part of the 'Voga alla Veneta' rowing season.

The program:

SATURDAY 14 JULY: 7pm, opening of the votive bridge linking the Zattere with the Church of the Redeemer on the island of the Giudecca; 9.30pm - 11.30pm, concert by Banda Musicale di Tessera, traditional Venetian song, Fondamenta Zattere ai Gesuiti; 11.30pm, fireworks display in the Basin of St. Mark.

SUNDAY 15 JULY 2012: from 4pm, the Redeemer Regattas - Giudecca canal: Traditional series of regattas valid for the 2012 rowing Season.