In about 1985, I saw a photo of Venice during Carnival (Carnevale), which included the masked and costumed revelers, has been in my “top 10visiting list ever since.
What I don’t like about this event:
- The beautiful city of Venice
- A great 10-day party through the streets
- fantastic costumes
- Italian food
carnival (Carnival) is the annual event in Venice during the ten days leading up to Lent, the last night being Shrove Tuesday in which there are several important balls. Of course, this is not just a Venetian tradition; Think Mardi Gras in Rio or Trinidad during the same time of year, but my interest in fancy masquerade balls and gorgeous costumes is far greater than seeing dancers in floss bikinis. The origin of the word carnevale is Latin (carnem levare or carnelevarium) and suggests a “farewell to meat”, which was traditionally renounced in the weeks of self-denial, during the Lenten period.
The history of masks and masquerade dates back to Roman times, with records of the festival dating back to 1162. The Romans celebrated the first part of the year with a fertility festival where masks were worn by all levels of society, including slaves. . The Carnevale di Venezia enjoyed a long period of infamy and notoriety during the 17th century, until the time of Napoleon’s conquest in 1797. At the height of this event, the party began on December 26 and ended sometime in the spring. This period of gambling and partying coincided with the loss of prominence and wealth in the region, as the centers of power in the Netherlands and Great Britain expanded their commercial reach. The celebration continued to decline, and was actually banned by Mussolini in 1930. A group of Venetians and lovers of Venice restarted the tradition in 1979.
Today the Carnival it is limited to the ten-day period before Lent and is a huge tourist attraction. The city is very crowded, hotels are expensive, restaurants are full, and the streets are sometimes just jammed. There are websites and tour groups entirely dedicated to the event. The range of party events caters to the rich and sophisticated (dancing and music), families with children (chocolate and puppets) and the college crowd (pub crawls).
You can choose to participate in the carnival celebrations in a number of ways depending on your tastes, energy level, and budget. You can just walk the streets or sit in a cafe and watch the amazing costumed characters that roam the streets. Spend some time in Piazzo San Marco, there are all kinds of special performances throughout the day and night. Choose to paint your face and have fun. Or you can purchase tickets to any number of events, ranging from very affordable to very expensive.
We booked two nights in a great hotel just off Piazza San Marco. The arrival in Venice was actually easier than anticipated; there is plenty of signage, large car parks and a central arrival point for the water transit system. Tea vaporetti (water buses) are very efficient, multiple routes and destinations are available, at the very least, every visitor will end up in #1 or #2 at some point, riding the Grand Canal and Canale delle Giudecca (respectively). Buy an unlimited multi-day ticket; you will end up using the system.
Venice at any time of the year is beautiful; there are endless museums, galleries and historic buildings to engage all kinds of interests. Two things I would highly recommend;
- A visit to the island of Murano where the glass factories are located. You can take the “scenic” boat tour that we took by mistake and really see all the islands or go straight. In any case, Murano is full of glass and restaurants and is a nice break from the crowds of Venice.
- The Secret Itineraries Tour of the Doge’s Palace. This tour is something beyond the normal tour and it is really fun!