Vogalonga, The Long Row
The Vogalonga is a not to be missed spectacle if you plan to be in Venice during May
The Vogalonga (long row) was born just 40 odd years ago by a group of Venetians who were determined to keep the long history of rowing in Venice alive and interesting. More and more power boats were taking over from the huge array of beautiful traditional boats in the lagoon and many Venetians were (and still are) protesting the damage caused by their swell and importantly, somehow rowing must not be lost.
A race was organised between the Venetian friends, a non competitive regatta really, 30km long starting outside the Ducal Palace in St Mark's Basin. "It was a gesture of love for Venice and the water that surrounds it, it's lagoon and islands, rowing and boats. The objective was, and still is to encourage awareness and understanding of the nature and culture of Venice."
The response and enthusiasm was immediate and from a small passionate group, the annual participation has now grown to over 1800 colourful boats and more than 6600 even more colourful rowers and paddlers from not only Venice, but from all over Italy and the world.
In the weekends and evenings during the year you will often see teams out practising their rowing in preparation for the Vogalonga which has become one of the true spectacles and festive occasions in Venice for both Venetians and visitors.
This year, the 42nd Vogalonga starts as always in the basin outside St Mark's and the Ducal palace on Sunday May 15 at 0900.
The 30km course extends over the northern lagoon, past the islands of Sant'Erasmo, Burano and Mazzorbo and then through the centre of Murano before returning to Venice via the Canale di Cannaregio and proceeding down the Grand Canal, under the Rialto Bridge to the finish.
A good place to watch from is the Cannaregio canal in late morning - unlike the Grand Canal, this has pavements right down both sides, as well as bridges to view from. There are cafes and restaurants where you can enjoy a capuccino or even better a spritz and enjoy the boats and their teams as they pass by.
30kms is a long way and it can take up to 6 hours to complete the circuit however some very dedicated and determined teams will make it in a couple of hours.
Public transport is suspended during the Vogalonga which makes it difficult to get to some places, but vaporetto stops make good viewing platforms!
