Venice Carnivale

Every year the city of Venice host the Carnival of Venice, or Carnevale di Venezia in Italian. The Carnival takes place annually 58 days before Easter and comes to a conclusion on Shrove Tuesday.

The origin of the festival is said to be form when the "Repubblica della Serenissima" (how Venice was previously known) defeated the Patriarch of Aquileia, Ulrico . Since this victory 1162 the people of the city are said to have honoured the event with dancing and offerings in San Marco Square.


Photo provided by www.venicetravelitaly.com

The annual Carnival continued and was finally made official during the renaissance period, however the tradition began to wane and ceased altogether. Then in 1979 the government decided to reinstate the carnival as way to celebrate the history and culture of the city. Now approximately 3 million people visit Venice every day the carnival is taking place.

One of the central themes of the carnival is the use of masks. Traditionally these were made with leather or glass and were symbolic in their designs. Today the majority of masks are produced using gesso decorated with gold leaf, gems, paints and feathers. Perhaps the most important event of the festivities is "La Maschera piu bella", a competition where a group of renowned fashion designers and costume makers pick the best mask of the carnival during the final weekend of the festivities.

Carnivale in Venice

Venice’s ‘other’ Biennale

Most people are aware of the Venice Biennale, the fantastic contemporary art exhibition that every two years showcases representative artists from countries all over the world. But not many people are aware that on the years it doesn’t take place, the city hosts another Biennale dedicated to architecture. Like the main mostra della arte, the Architecture Biennale (this year from August 29th to November 21st) takes place in the Giardini della Biennale, the gardens to the east of the Piazza San Marco that have hosted the event since 1895. Dotted throughout the gardens are 29 international pavilions, each created by a native architect. For some, these wonderful examples of vernacular architecture in miniature are reason enough to come; the Austrian Pavilion, for example, was one of the last works by Josef Hoffmann, a leading figure of the Secessionist movement, whist the Finnish Pavilion was designed by of the ‘father of modernism’ Alvar Aalto. This year, the 12th International Architecture Exhibition goes under the title ‘People Meet in Architecture’ and one of its major projects is ‘Architecture Saturdays’; a series of conversations, led by former curators of the mostra and between architects and critics. The Italian Pavilion, the largest in the giardini, will host a show titled ‘Reflections from the Future’, which will look at the way contemporary Italian architects understand the country’s historical context.

Carnival in Venice

Carnival in Venice is experiencing a great experience, you will not soon forget. Nowhere in the world, this Catholic event is celebrated with so much style. It is especially the masked ball (dating from the 13th century) which enjoys world fame, but also the other events of the carnival are worth watching.

During the two-week festival, the city is filled with people in the most beautiful costumes, theater groups and musicians from around the world. In the 18th century, this carnival was world famous and lasted more than a month. Napoleon Bonaparte even canceled the carnival.

It is only since the end of the second half of the 20th century that it is back and now the Carnival of Venice is one of the most famous carnivals of Europe. For more information please visit: http://www.carnivalofvenice.com/