November 21st

Venice celebrates la "Festa della Salute", an event deeply felt by the Venetians.
Why?

The origins of "Festa della Madonna della Salute" date back to the 17th century, when Venice was brought to its knees by the plague.
At the climax of the epidemic, the city government organized a procession of prayer to the "Madonna", in which the entire surviving population participated for three days and three nights.
On October 22nd 1630, the Doge asked for the intercession of the Virgin Mary to the city.

The miracle happened and for almost 400 years a votive bridge, built by the Venetias and made up of boats, allowes the pilgrims to pass from Santa Maria del Giglio to the Basilica della Salute, through the Grand Canal.

The Basilica della Madonna della Salute was consecrated on November 21st, 1687 and was designed by Baldassarre Longhena: it is a baroque temple with an octagonal structure surmounted by an imposing dome.

Nowadays, as tradition, in the area surrounding the Basilica you can find numerous stalls tha sell sweets, toys and colored balloons, and, of course, votive candles of all sizes to light the Virgin inside the Church.
In addition to the sacred, the profane cannot be missing: traditional Venetian cuisine combines, according to an ancient custom, the "castradine", a dish based on mutton, smoked and seasoned, used to make a tasty soup.