Carnival weekend in Venice, Italy. 2015.
Packed to capacity with both Italian and foreign tourists, the rain held off for the final weekend of carnival (and St-Valentin). We spent our nights camping on the mainland, a ten minute bus ride from Venice, and our days roaming the streets and watching all the crazy characters pass us by. ‘Roaming’ is a soft way of saying that we were almost always lost. Between the twisting alleys that lead to dead ends, being stuck on the main pedestrian highway, and accepting that our inner-compasses were failing us…we explored far and wide, and often ended up walking in circles.
The Venetian Carnival itself was also a lot of fun to observe. Costumes varied from simple masks, to capes and wigs, to a full-out wardrobe. Piazza San Marco and the seaside walkway were the best places to catch all the action. Stephan and I spent a few hours on Saturday afternoon just sitting next to a statue, drinking prosecco (NE Italy is known for its white wines) and watching the world of Venetian Carnival pass us by.
Most carnivals I know around the world are centred around a parade of sort, but the Venetian Carnival is really just about watching and being watched all around the city.
http://www.carnevale.venezia.it
