The Regata delle Bisse is a traditional rowing race involving historic boats dating back to the time of the Venetian Republic and has always aroused great passion and interest, exerting among other things an intense influence on the customs and traditions of the municipalities along the Riviera.
Since 1548, regattas have accompanied very important historical events on Lake Garda. The bisse, evolutions of flat-bottomed fishing boats with Venetian-style rowing, are 10.40 metres long and 0.65 wide. The "bisse" have four oars 4.50 metres long, consisting of a single cylindrical piece with one end shaped like a paddle. Venetian rowing takes its name from the way the Venetians and fishermen of Lake Garda rowed, who rowed standing upright and facing forward, in the manner of the Phoenicians and many others who came after them. In 1967, a group of enthusiastic amateurs from Gargnano (about 50 km from Sirmione) decided to revive the competition and today 14 municipalities of Lake Garda and Iseo with a total of twenty boats take part in the Regata delle Bisse.
The Regata delle Bisse is organised by the Lega Bisse del Garda and is held every year between June and August; the boat that wins the championship obtains the Flag of the Lake as a trophy and the best rowers have the honour of parading in Venice on the Grand Canal during the Regata Storica.
