Hello - I am looking for comments from anyone who has attended the Regata Storica. This will be our first time in Venice and second in Italy. First trip we only did Rome. We were planning to fly back to the US the morning of September 5th (same day as the Regata). Not sure if it's worth extending an extra day in order to see it or if we should leave the city before it even starts. I appreciate your comments.
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Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
We were in Venice several years ago for the regata. It's a lot of fun, but very crowded to watch. All the locals turn out for it and, as you can imagine, there aren't enough places along the Grand Canal for everyone. (The locals bring their boats early into the GC and tie them up lining the sides for the best seats, but you'll be stuck on land.)
So be prepared to find your place early (at the end of one of the many little alleys, probably) and be prepared to stand for the whole thing - several hours.
If you enjoy parades, you'll probably enjoy the regata. It starts off with the part aimed at the tourists - the historic boats loaded with people in semi-authentic historic costumes. Then that is followed by the part that the locals really enjoy - the gondola races. It leads to the crowning of the King of the Gondola (or something like that) for the winner of the main race, a very prestigious honor. There are also gondola races by age and gender group. We really enjoyed watching the kids race.
Lots of pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=regata%20storica&w=all