My husband and I are going to be in Venice this year on the day of the Regatta. Has anybody been that can tell me a little about what to expect? We are most interested in seeing the parade but don't know where a good spot would be to view it. I know it goes up the Grand Canal but not where it starts. Would Santa Maria Della Salute be a good spot to watch or does it start farther up?
Also, can one cross the bridges of the Grand Canal during the race? I know the vaporettos don't run and people cannot stop on the bridges to watch but wonder if they are closed off. Any advice would be appreciated.
Posted by
San Diego
1540 posts
When I was there a few years ago we just sat on the edge of the canal next to the Rialto Bridge. We saw the parade and some of the races. There was a very large seating area set up across the canal, but it looked like very very well dressed folks who probably paid a lot for those seats.
Posted by
Houston, TX
487 posts
We did this a few years ago as well and sat in the same area as Frances, right along the canal by the Rialto bridge. It was a great place to watch the boats go by. We did have to "claim" these seats early and just stay there until the events actually began in order to get a good view. I was with my husband so if one of us wanted to stretch our legs only one of us would get up at a time in order to keep the seats. As the regatta got closer to starting more and more people start crowding in so it would be best to both stay there. Where we were sitting was not shaded so be sure to bring a hat!
I was looking at my pictures to see if there were people on the bridge and it looks like they may have closed access once the event started. It would make sense as they would not want people to be able to drop things on the racers from above. Prior to the race I could see people on the bridges.