From 8 to 25 February you can attend one of the most famous events in the world: the Carnival of Venice. Let's discover traditions and program together!
Carnival is a traditional festival that takes place in the city of Venezia in the period of February every year. It is also one of the best known and most popular carnivals in the world. The turnout of people from all over the country and from abroad is truly incredible, probably one of the busiest times of the year in the city. Carnival is a magical time felt with great affection by both tourists and all the inhabitants of the area.
History
The first testimony concerning the Carnival of Venice is in 1094 in a famous document that testifies to the celebrations that took place in the city. Two years later, the Senate of the Republic declared official the holiday on the day of Shrove Tuesday, that is, the last day before the beginning of Lent.
The true tradition has very ancient origins that go back to pagan rites and the Christian celebrations of feast and abundance before the start of the Lent period. With the fall of the great Serenissima in Venice the tradition was lost but the smaller islands continued to celebrate big.
It was in 1979 that with a series of initiatives, commissioned by the islanders, the carnival tradition was celebrated again, which today is famous all over the world and a moment of great tourist influx in the city.
The program of the Venice Carnival, the opening days
The Venice Carnival lasts about two weeks in which themed events and events take place throughout the city: masked parades, the flight of the angel, gala dinners ...
This year's start date will be February 8th. During the evening, from 19:00 to 22:00 the grand opening show of the Carnival takes place in the Canareggio canal.
The next day it will take place as usual the parade of the Rowing Associations of Voga alla Veneta. This is the typical rowing used by gondoliers to drive gondolas. Saturday 15 February from 14 pm it starts the Festa delle Marie; a procession that goes from San Piero di Castello to St. Mark's Square after passing some of the most important streets of the city.
The program of the Venice Carnival, the closing days
Sunday 16 February at 12:00 the Flight of the Angel on Piazza San Marco will officially open the 2020 edition of the Carnival. The angel will be personified by Mary who won the 2019 edition of the famous party. Throughout the week there will be other events and parades throughout the city.
Sunday 23 February will take place the Flight of the Eagle and during the event the most beautiful mask of this year will also be awarded.
There are many private events taking place in the city: one of the most famous is the Dance of the Doge in the Great School of Mercy.
The typical sweets of the carnival
Frittelle, galani and castagnole: these are the desserts par excellence of the Venice Carnival.
Le pancakes you can find them in really many variations: cream, zabaglione, chocolate. But the original one is only with raisins and icing sugar; without creams. THE galani they are also found in other regions (chiacchiere, frappe, crostoli) but the Venetian ones have a thin, light pastry and are ribbon-shaped and, obviously, fried.
Useful information on the Venice Carnival
The masks can be found throughout the city but if you want to find and photograph the most evocative I suggest you head towards St. Mark's Square; this is where people from all over the world show off truly gorgeous costumes. The show is free of charge, admission to the city is free as in all other periods of the year.
