Away from the crowds, Katherine Cole savours the Most Serene Republic during the feast which commemorates the birth of the Church.
On the last Sunday in May – which this year coincided with Pentecost – it was easy to forget, with the streets thronged with tourists, that normal life continued in Venice. While thousands of small boats from across the continent set off on the Vogalonga regatta’s course around the lagoon, cheered on by crowds lining the Fondamente, there were ordinary Venetians going to Mass in the churches they attend every week, whatever the season.
