Venice has many claims to fame and being host to the most famous annual carnival in Italy is one of them. Whilst much of Europe slumbers in a sort of post-Christmas stupor, the streets, bridges and canals of Venice come alive with revellers in elaborate costumes and traditional face masks. The party always ends on Shrove Tuesday, so visitors need to look in their diaries and work back two weeks for the carnival’s start.
Carnevale di Venezia has a long history, going back into the 13th century. For a while, it had dropped off the city’s calendar until unofficial masked celebrations started again and led to its formal revival during the 1980s. The face masks (although not always popular with the authorities) were and still are essential to the carnival’s success – allowing everyone, regardless of fame or status, to hit the streets and celebrate in complete anonymity.
As with any carnival, worth the name, you have to enjoy being enrobed in crowds of people. A reasonable knowledge of Venice is helpful because you will find that you simply become whisked along with the throng and will likely end up a long way away from your starting point. There is no right or wrong place to join the festivities but Saint Mark’s Square is as good a point to start as any – especially if your holiday apartment is a little outside of central Venice.