The Venice Carnevale is among the most famous Carnivals in the world taking a back seat to Rio and perhaps New Orleans. But does it meet the hype? Should you feel that you have missed out if you have to spend Carnevale in an alternate Italian location, a Carnival elsewhere in the world, or perhaps even at home? That's for you and only you and perhaps your partner to decide. Hopefully this article will help you make this momentous decision.
The Venice Carnevale is relatively short, lasting only about two weeks. That can be a good thing, even more so when you consider the costs involved. The city of Venice has a population of about 270 thousand of which less than a quarter actually live in the historic town. Compare these figures to the estimated 50 thousand visitors per day, and we are talking about the annual average, not Carnevale time. On the upside, Venice is the largest car-free city in Europe, but there are two pricey parking lots.
Back to Carnevale. The first record of Venetian Carnevale was in 1296 when the local Senate decreed the day before Lent to be a public holiday. Festivities in the early days included slaughtering of pigs and oxen and mass brawls, for which bridges seemed to be a favored location. According to Seventeenth Century guidebooks more than 30 thousand visitors graced the city during Carnevale week. After the Venice Republic fell in 1797 Carnevale was banned and didn't return for decades. In the days of Mussolini it was illegal to wear a mask in public. Then it became a sort of children's party but nothing more. Believe it or not, the modern Carnevale dates only from 1979. By 2004 annual attendance passed the one million mark with over one hundred thousand on the final Saturday and Sunday. The peak has passed and attendance is on the way down. Perhaps in the words of that athletic philosopher, Yogi Berra, "Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded."
Masks were and are a central feature of the Venetian Carnevale. People wore them for a large part of the year, would you believe that at one point in Venetian history mask wearing was reduced to three months a year? The Mascherari (mask makers) were favored members of society and had their own guild and even their own laws. The original masks were made of papier-mache, a major component of allegorical floats as well. Other mask materials include leather and wax cloth, which they tell me is fine for eating and dancing. The sky is the limit for decorative materials including gold leaf, feathers, and jewels.
Here is a short list of some official events and their admission charge cost for the 2010 Carnivale. At the time of this writing one Euro is worth about $1.43. Hot Chocolate in Costume at the Hotel Danieli on Saturday, February 6 costs 50 Euros. Expect to pay for costume rental. I don't know what the cleaning charge is if you get hot chocolate all over your Marie Antoinette dress. Later that day at the Luna Hotel Baglioni there is a Moon masquerade with a refined Carnival Buffet Dinner and music of the 70s and 80s costing 290 Euros. I do not recommend that you wear the clothes you wore to 70s and 80s concerts, even if you can fit in them. Let's skip to the final day. On Tuesday, February 16 at the Hotel Danieli you'll enjoy Venezia Romantica with a top dinner, a ball, and lots more for 450 Euros. The dress code is Historical Costume. Enjoy. And look for me. I'll be the guy in those plastic giveaway glasses from American 1950s 3-D movies.
Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian, French, or other wine, accompanied by the right foods and spend time with his wife and family. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. Among his many web sites he is particularly proud of his Italian travel site with a special focus on regional food and wine at http://www.travelitalytravel.com. Check out his global wine website at http://www.theworldwidewine.com with his weekly column reviewing $10 wines and his new sections writing about (theory) and tasting (practice) organic and kosher wines, and now upscale wines.
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