Inspired by the famous annual Vogalonga rowing event, the third edition of the Vogalonga Down Unda will take place on the protected waters of the Murray River on Sunday, April 24.
The event is the brainchild of Adelaide resident, Michael Piovesan, who has participated in the Venice Vogalonga three times.
Piovesan discovered a passion for Venetian-style rowing, or voga alla veneta, while living in Italy for four years in a bid to reconnect with his roots and get to know his Italian family.
“My paternal grandfather came from Ponzano, in the Veneto region,” he said.
“The day after I arrived, I lodged all my documents to have my Italian citizenship acknowledged and I officially became an Italian citizen a few months later.”
Piovesan soon found himself an apartment in Treviso’s historic centre, overlooking one of the city’s canals, and taught English to make a living.
One day, while he was exploring the streets of his new home and strolling along the Sile River, he stumbled upon the Canottieri Sile rowing club.
“I was intrigued so I knocked on the door, got a tour of the club and pretty much signed up straight away,” he mused.
From there, Piovesan’s passion for Venetian-style rowing flourished and he ended up taking part in major events such as Venice Carnival, the Madonna della Salute Festival and – naturally – the Vogalonga.
“Venetian-style rowing is what gondoliers do,” he explained.
“They stand up, face the direction of travel, and use their oar to propel and steer the boat.”
When Piovesan moved back to Australia in 2018 to care for his elderly mother, he soon realised he couldn’t live without the sport.
His relentless love for Venetian rowing led to the foundation of the Voga Alla Veneta Association of South Australia Inc. and the ideation of the Vogalonga Down Unda.
“In December 2019, I went to Italy to catch up with friends and get the blessing of the main organiser of the Vogalonga in Venice,” Piovesan said.
“I think they appreciated the fact that we were holding our event in solidarity with Venice and the challenges that the city faces with tourism and cruise ships.
“The first event was scheduled for April 2020 but we had to postpone to October due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Ours was the only one on the planet that year because Italy was still suffering badly from COVID-19 and Venice couldn’t host theirs.”
The Venice Vogalonga began in 1974, when a small group of traditional Venetian rowers came up with the idea of a non-competitive rowing regatta as a way to revive the dying tradition.
Over time, an increasing number of local Venetian rowers were joined by boats and crews from all over Europe, who were rowing and paddling in solidarity with Venice.
In a very short time, this revival of the tradition gave rise to more than 50 Venetian rowing clubs in Venice and on the mainland.
All this contributed to a renewed sense of pride in Venice and its boating traditions, which had all but disappeared.
The Australian iteration seeks to ride this wave of enthusiasm and extend it to the Southern Hemisphere.
Located just over an hour’s drive from Adelaide, the historic town of Goolwa was the perfect place for the Vogalonga Down Unda, as it was the first town outside of Europe to be officially designated a città slow, or “slow town”.
“Inspired by the Slow Food Movement, the Cittaslow Movement promotes towns that live on a slower timeframe, where there are no fast food outlets and there’s support for local producers,” Piovesan said.
In keeping with this “slow” philosophy and the spirit of the original event, Vogalonga Down Unda is a non-competitive regatta and people can row or paddle at their own pace.
“It’s not a race,” Piovesan stressed.
“The Venetian course is about 30 kilometres long and you can take as much time as you need; it can take a good six hours to complete.
“The Vogalonga Down Unda has three courses ranging from six to 18 kilometres to make it family friendly.
“Like the Vogalonga in Venice, the event is open to any human-powered craft operated by hand or foot; no sails, no motors.”
Past fleets have included row sculls, tinnies, wooden dinghies, English skiffs, Irish currachs, paddle kayaks, canoes, dragon boats, surf boats, SUPs and some more unconventional craft.
A scene from a previous edition of the Vogalonga Down Unda. (Photo: Rod Flintoff)
This year’s event will mark the first time a Venetian-style boat takes part, built by the Voga Alla Veneta Association.
“It’s an Australian design based on a Venetian sandolo by retired naval architect, Dr Kim Klaka,” Piovesan said.
“We’ll soon have it on the water and it’ll be featured at the event.”
Participants in past editions have dressed up in colourful themed costumes, wearing their local club colours or creating “a team look” to commemorate their crew’s involvement in the event.
Individuals and family groups of all ages are welcome to participate; the more craft, the more colourful and spectacular the regatta.
“We had 190 participants for the first event and 250 last year,” Piovesan said.
“We’re hoping to get at least 300 this year.”
The event will start at 9:00 am with a parade of all participating craft from the Goolwa Aquatic Club to the Goolwa Wharf Precinct.
“We also plan to do an alzaremi – a traditional Venetian salute where oars are raised – at the wharf for the Goolwa RSL members in honour of Anzac Day,” Piovesan said.
In the afternoon, there will be live music and a picnic with some friendly racing between similar craft.
Lunch is included in the registration fee.
Registrations close April 21, 2022.
For more information, visit the website.
