Carnaval en 🇮🇹 Italia

Italian Carnival, or Carnevale, is celebrated with particular fervor in several cities, each with its own distinct traditions. The Venice Carnival is the most internationally famous, but celebrations in Viareggio, Ivrea, Acireale, and Putignano are equally impressive. The word carnival itself derives from the Italian carne levare, meaning to remove meat, referencing the Lenten fasting that follows.

Venice's Carnival is a two-week festival of masked balls, parades, and theatrical performances centered around Piazza San Marco. The tradition of wearing elaborate masks dates to the 13th century, when masks allowed Venetians to transcend social class boundaries. Today, revelers don stunning hand-crafted masks and period costumes, creating a living tableau of 18th-century Venice. The Flight of the Angel, where a performer descends on a zipline from the Campanile to the piazza, opens the festivities.

Viareggio in Tuscany hosts one of Europe's most spectacular Carnival parades, featuring enormous papier-mache floats that satirize political figures and current events. The tradition dates to 1873 and has produced some remarkable examples of political commentary through art. The floats can reach heights of 20 meters and require months of construction by skilled artisans in dedicated workshops.

In Ivrea, near Turin, the highlight of Carnival is the Battaglia delle Arance, the Battle of the Oranges, where teams of citizens on foot battle against opponents on horse-drawn carts by hurling oranges at each other. This chaotic food fight represents a historical rebellion against tyranny. The three-day battle leaves the streets awash in orange pulp and attracts thousands of participants. Italian Carnival food includes frappe (fried pastry strips), castagnole (sweet fritters), and galani, varying by region.

Festividad previa a la Cuaresma celebrada con desfiles, mascaradas, música y baile en los días previos al Miércoles de Ceniza, célebre sobre todo en Río de Janeiro, Venecia y Nueva Orleans.