We’ll Always Have Venice has been out nearly a month and has my highest rating so far for reviews on both Amazon and Goodreads, which I’m thrilled about. Now we’re coming into summer, the events I wrote about in the book are happening in Venice in real life!
The first is the Festa della Sensa, the Sunday after Ascension Day, where the mayor of Venice enacts the symbolic marriage to the sea (the Sposalizio del Mare) and the city celebrates with regattas in the Venetian rowing style (voga veneta).
The Festa della Sensa 2022 is happening this Sunday. It’s not the biggest event on the Venetian calendar, but it does date back a long way (although it hasn’t been celebrated continuously) and it epitomises the importance of tradition and belonging for the locals. The rowing clubs are an important part of civil society in Venice, with membership often measured in generations.
In We’ll Always Have Venice, the Festa della Sensa falls on Norah’s first full day in Venice and she gets the wrong idea about what kind of event she’s attending, leading to a few surprises. It’s the beginning of her Venetian summer, where many more surprises await – not least the most unexpected: falling in love!
Leonie Mack 