A Peripatetic Festa Del Redentore: 14 Views

Their restricted view of  the fireworks--partially blocked by buildings (though reflected, as you can see above, in the upper windows of the church of the Gesuati)--didn't dim the enthusiasm of this crowd in Campo Sant' Agnese

Boats offer some of the best views of the fireworks, but as ours is in for repairs we could only admire ones like the above from on land

Decorating boats was once a major part of the Feast of Redentore, but few seem to do it now. Which is too bad, as even a minimalist approach to ornamentation, like the boat above, adds a lot to the festivities.

Only at the last minute did I decide to set off to see the fireworks and found the Zattere to be crowded with revelers (and with a lovely orange moon in the distance)...

...entertained by the local band above, which was doing its last number as I arrived: "YMCA" by The Village People

People took up places along the Zattere, expecting to see the fireworks over the bacino of San Marco--only to find out once the program began that their experience was to be purely auditory: booms resounded, but not so much as a single far-flung spark was visible.

And thus began a mass migration north- and west-ward in search of vantage points: this partial one is from the bridge leading from Calle Magazen to Campo San Trovaso

Here, from the Fondamenta Bonlini beside the church, looking across the Rio de San Trovaso down Calle Larga Nani

Here, from the foot of the Accademia Bridge near the Campo della Carità (of which, incidentally, there was none to be found when it came to securing a space to see the fireworks from the bridge)

So many people formerly on the Zattere were hurrying along fondamente and across campi only to find one bottleneck after another awaiting them in whichever calli they chose to take in the direction of the fireworks--with hardly less urgency, though in slightly better spirits, than those who once fled from the mainland into the lagoon to escape old Attila's own brand of fireworks--that I was happy enough to happen upon picturesque, if only partial, reflections of the spectacle, as above.

Of course those people employed to manage the flow of foot traffic didn't even see so much as reflections of the fireworks: the man above holds a sign that states "Varco Chiuso" (Exit Closed)

And after the spectacle was done, the traffic on the water (above and below, on Rio San Trovaso) became as challenging as that on land...

Traditionally, revelers headed to Lido after the fireworks to continue the festivities until dawn on the beach. Some still do this, and, as might be expected, private interests have turned this tradition to their own account, creating for-profits parties to replace the communal ones of the past. But after the fireworks a lot of other boats head in the opposite direction from Lido, a steady stream of them down the Grand Canal (or, above, Rio Nuovo) westward and home.

For views of the Festa del Redentore from the water see: Navigating the Festa del Redentore 2017

Spectacle Piled On Spectacle: Festa del Redentore, Early This Morning

A Boat's-Eye Peek at Tonight's Festa del Redentore 

Festa del Redentore 2014: Seeing, Feeling, Breathing Fireworks 

And for views of the festival from many many different vantage points, enter "festa del redentore" in the "Search This Blog" box in the right margin near the top of this page.