Remembering the Serenissima: Festivals and celebrations in 1930s Venice

Abstract

On the evening of the third Saturday in August 1935, the Venetian Ufficio turismo organised, as it did every year, a lavish festa notturna. This was an extravagant water spectacle, whose highlight was the procession of an enormous floating stage with orchestra and singers down the Grand Canal. The palaces flanking the canal were illuminated especially for the occasion. Venetians of all classes witnessed the spectacle, whether crammed along every riva and sbocco [opening] onto the Grand Canal around the Rialto or — for the ‘cream of the Venetian patrician class’ and other VIPs — gathered on the balcony of Count Volpi’s palazzo at San Benedetto to enjoy an uninterrupted view of the proceedings.1 The festa notturna was not intended solely for local consumption, though. The orchestral concert was broadcast on national radio and in other years was filmed by the Istituto LUCE.2 Alongside the spectacle of music and lights, the festa notturna also featured a competition open to all Venetians with prizes on offer for the most beautifully decorated boats. Many groups and individuals competed enthusiastically year after year, such as the ‘Sozia del ventisinque’ from Murano. Entrants were entirely free in their choice of theme. The triumvirate of judges was made up of Prof. Italico Brass, who had instigated the festival, and representatives of the provincial Dopolavoro and the Tourism Office.