Lent, the quaresima in Italian, is the 40 days prior to Easter, a time of fasting, penance and prayer in the Catholic Church. But before Lent begins, Italy’s carnevale celebrations provide an escape from the long winter season and an excuse to indulge in food and festivities (and a bit of foolishness).

Carnevale takes on many forms and each city seems to have its own festive personality. In 2019, I experienced my first carnevale in the town of Viareggio, which hosts a raucous parade of satirical floats, poking fun at society and politicians but also making statements about current issues such as pollution and global warming. Viareggio was fun, but I also became fascinated by the photos I saw of the celebrations in Venice, which looked quite different and much more elegant, than those in Viareggio. The Venetian costumes and masks drew me in and so began my plan to attend the 2020 Carnevale celebrations in Venice.

In Venice, this year’s theme was Il Gioco, l’Amore, e la Follia (Game, Love, and Folly). The nearly month-long celebration began with a nighttime water parade as floats and performers made their way on the Cannaregio canal. Acrobats, dancers, and fire twirlers were all part of the show - some on boats and some suspended high over the water. It was a visually stunning display and unlike anything I’ve seen before.

The next morning brought another fun event, a flotilla of decorated boats, with costumed rowing crews. The fun began at the Punta della Dogana (at the lagoon end of Dorsoduro) and moved along the Grand Canal to Cannaregio.

The early morning flotilla left the rest of the day free to explore the city and spend some time in Piazza San Marco, the best place to see costumes and masks. After all, it was the costumes and masks I really came to see.

No dime-store Halloween costumes and masks these, but rather elegant, expensive, handcrafted, and themed ensembles. Imagine the time, energy, and craftsmanship to create these!

Many couples dressed in complementary period styles and were happy to pose for photos.

Women were often in elaborate dresses and wigs, looking mysterious in their masked disguises.

And the men -the men were gallant and dashing. 

Kids had fun participating too. And all of this was just the first weekend of the four-week event.

Venice is a place to love at any time of year, but it has a special energy and flair during carnevale. It’s not too early to plan a trip for next year’s event - or to begin planning a costume! -post by Joanne