Carnevale di Venezia

The legendary Venice Carnival started last Saturday, and will rage for 10 days before culminating in Fat Tuesday, on February 16th. The streets and public squares of the city will be packed with seemingly endless live entertainment. Grab your masks and sit back and enjoy music and dancing, trapeze and tightrope walkers, acrobats, theater performances, and puppet shows.

The Venetian carnival mask is the unofficial staple of the event. Traditionally used to protect the wearers identity during this week of debauchery and revelry, today no one’s carnival attire is complete without one of these extravagant pieces.

The carnival’s history can be traced back before the 1300s when the day before Lent was declared a public holiday. While the carnival is in large part a tourist-oriented event these days, it would be foolish to let this stop you from taking part in such a long tradition.

Hostels on the Island of Venice are notoriously more expensive than those found elsewhere throughout Europe and Italy. However, cheaper hostels and hotels can be found in surrounding areas such as Mestre, Marghera, and Zelarino. A short 10-20 minute bus ride from these areas will drop you right at the main bus terminal on the island.

For travelers in Italy and the surrounding region, Venice’s epic carnival is not to be missed. Enjoy a Venetian Fritelle, that sweet carnival specialty. Grab a cup of gelato and escape by waterbus to Lido, and watch carnival shenanigans by the Adriatic Sea.

More information about the carnival, including a detailed time line of events, can be found here.