Slip on a mask and join the Carnevale
Carnevale, the world’s largest and most famous masked party, has existed since the Middle Ages, but it came into its own in the 18th century. Today, visitors to the pre-Lenten event flock to piazza San Marco, where professional poseurs in ornate (and exorbitant) costumes occupy prime spots and wait for the world’s press photographers to immortalise them. Venetians, on the other hand, organise private masked and costumed celebrations, or gather in smaller squares.