A Death In Venice
Watching An Endangered Species
Occasionally, if you’re lucky, you might catch a glimpse of one of these rare creatures. They are different in habit than the species most commonly seen in this environment. They stand more upright, their plumage seems of higher quality, in general they carry less body weight, and they don’t seem to feel the heat like the invasive species found in this location does.
They say there are no locals left in Venice.
That’s the received wisdom and you’d be forgiven for thinking so. The streets are clogged with tourists. The stores are filled with tat. The waiters hail from distant continents. But if you’re lucky, you may still catch sight of a few real Venetians in their natural habitat.
If you want to have the best chance of seeing them, you should visit Venice during the Redentore festival.
Redentore
Venice is definitely a festival town. The Film festival. The Biennale. The Carnevale. Fundamentally, though, these are all festivals aimed at non-Venetians, at least these days. But the Redentore is the festival that means most to the locals.
Antonella, the owner of the lodgings where we stay when in Venice, told me about it a few years ago. She explained its history, and how special it has always been for her…
