For nearly four centuries, Venice has celebrated one of the most significant events in the Serenissima’s calendar, still deeply cherished by Venetians both from the lagoon and the mainland, who gather en masse to honor the Byzantine icon of the Mesopanditissa, credited with miraculously saving the city from a devastating plague in 1630-31.
It is the quintessential popular festival, marked by unmissable rituals such as the visit to the Basilica della Salute via the votive bridge of boats spanning the Grand Canal, the lighting of a candle in honor of the Madonna delle Grazie icon, and the fusion of the sacred and the secular. As tradition dictates, food takes center stage, with the crispy sweet and the castradina – a smoked mutton dish – serving as essential culinary stops in a day deeply ingrained in the hearts of Venetians.
