Venice is pretty much a happening city whatever time of year you choose to go. With amazing restaurants, and interesting little curio shops hidden away in tiny cobblestone alleys, it’s a place you can never get tired of. But if I really had to pick a time of year to go, it would be in February during Carnevale.
It’s one of the oldest Carnival celebrations in the world. Carnevale has been celebrated by Venetians everywhere on and off since about the thirteenth century. It was banned by Mussolini in the thirties, but by the 1980s this celebration had made a huge come back.
Because the celebration begins 12 days before Ash Wednesday (Mardi Gras), the dates change every year. However, from February 5th all the way through the 16th visitors to Venice this year will see the city, and its residents transform. Masks are donned and costumes are worn. The costumes aren’t quite as outrageous as you might see in Rio. Venetian Carnevale is less sequins and feather boas and more sumptuous eighteenth century ball gowns accompanied with Commedia Dell’Arte-influenced masks; think Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut without the orgies.
There’s plenty to do during Carnevale even for people on a budget. During the day there’ll be people (adults and children alike) wearing costumes and they are usually more than happy to be photographed. Carnevale is about fun; and jokes and pranks are not in short supply during the festival. As always with Italy, there’s plenty of good food to be had, particularly the frittelle and crostoli treats, which are delicious fried pastries that are so bad for you yet taste so good. There are plenty of shows to watch at San Marco square, plus boats parades along the canal and a pretty amazing fireworks show to end the festivities.
Want to really join in with the celebrations? Get a mask. Venice sells beautiful masks year round, but especially during Carnevale, you’ll have no trouble finding a place to buy a mask. Masks can range drastically in price depending on how ornate you want to go. They have some fairly plain white masks, or you could go all out with one decorated with feathers and Swarovski crystal.
Once you have your mask, you may still find that those jeans pin you as a tourist. If you really wanna fit in, look at renting a costume at one of the many costume shops around Venice. Again, just like with the masks, you only have to go as crazy as you want to. And after all that effort, hey, why not hit Doges Ball which is a masked ball open to the public held at the 15th Century Palazzo Pisani Moretta along the Grand Canal. It is a lot of fun and every girl should get a chance once in her life to say that she got to go to an actual ball?
Just in case you feel like you’ve had your fill of Carnevale, make sure you check out these cool sites in Venice:
San Marco Piazza is on every tourist’s Venice must-see list, and for good reason. It really is a nice place to chill out and people watch. Stop in and have an espresso at Caffe Florian, which was one of the first places in Europe to serve coffee, so they definitely know what they are doing.
If finding interesting little nooks and crannies is more your idea of fun go to Rialto, which features a market, as well as a ton of interesting little shops.
Although, if you’re feeling really touristy, why not go for a gondola ride? Yes, it’s cheesy, but it can also be a lot of fun and pretty romantic. Bellisimo!
-Nikki Arserio
