The land of Babbo Natale
di Elena Marco Bucci
If you are in Venice the last weekend before Christmas, you will see Babbo Natale everywhere! No, I am not talking about the classic decorations flooding the streets from shops, cafes, and houses. Santa Clauses, all alive, breathing, walking, running, talking, and laughing, are walking around you as residents of the city. Hundreds… Of course, almost all of them are Venetians. Because they love to dress in a variety of ways, both for fun and to collect donations for charities.
First up is the Regata dei Babbi Natale alla valesana organised by the Ca’ Foscari university. The regata is classic for the city and all are welcome to join in the race or water parade that follows. Boats and crews come in all shapes and sizes from kayaks to gondolas and dragon boats to traditional flat-bottomed caorline boats.
Everyone gathers around 9.30am to get dressed up and to dress up their boats! They row down to the starting point in St Mark’s Basin (in front of the Doge’s Palace) around 10am with the race and parade kicking off at 10.30am so you have two chances to catch the Babbo Natale crews on the Canale Grande. The racers row from St Mark’s to Ca’ Foscari, in the Dorsoduro district, where prizes are awarded and then everyone tucks into the well-deserved refreshments!
If you prefer terra firma, you could join the locals for a Sunday morning fun run instead. Santas come in a variety of forms from children to adults, athletes to Sunday walkers and even dogs! All are welcome for a €10 fee – half of which buys your outfit, whilst the other half goes to a local cancer charity called Avapo Venezia onlus.
Kids, amateurs and the enthusiastic fun-runners follow a 5km route from the Rialto round to the Castello district for a well-deserved slab of pannetone and a glug of mulled wine at the Al Refolo cicchetteria on Via Garibaldo! Or if you’re more of an athletic type, like Nordic walking and haven’t got little ones in tow, you can do another lap finishing after 9km at the Rialto market to claim your refreshments. For 2 hours the city’s streets are packed with hundreds of Babbo Natales adding a spot of colour and festive fun to the wintry morning. Keep an eye out for them!
And finally, if you missed the students’ regata on Saturday, why not take up position on the Accademia bridge around 10am on Sunday to wait for the Corteo Acqueo Di Babbi Natale water parade. Incidentally, it’s also a great spot to catch the fun runners who should be crossing the bridge shortly before the parade goes underneath it. Enjoy it!
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