{"id":3721,"date":"2024-01-27T12:00:20","date_gmt":"2024-01-27T12:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/walks.friday.ie\/?p=3721"},"modified":"2024-04-12T14:46:01","modified_gmt":"2024-04-12T13:46:01","slug":"carnevale-in-venice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/things-to-do\/carnevale-in-venice","title":{"rendered":"Carnevale: All About Carnival in Venice (Venetian Masks &#038; More!)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Carnival (or <em>&#8220;Carnevale&#8221;<\/em>) is one of the biggest <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/things-to-do\/italian-festivals-guide\">celebrations in Italy<\/a> &#8211; and from Venetian masks to masquerade balls, no place does it like Venice! Like the idea of seeing the city at its most festive and colorful? Here&#8217;s a handy Q&amp;A about <em>Carnevale<\/em> in <a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/alternative-things-to-see-in-venice\">Venice<\/a>!<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_13547\" style=\"width: 1210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13547\" class=\"wp-image-13547\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/venice-carnival--scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/venice-carnival--scaled.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/venice-carnival--768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/venice-carnival--1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13547\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Keep reading to discover all about <em>Carnevale<\/em> in Venice.<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/things-to-do\/carnevale-in-venice\/#Venice_carnival_history\" >Venice carnival history<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/things-to-do\/carnevale-in-venice\/#Where_did_the_idea_of_Carnevale_come_from\" >Where did the idea of Carnevale come from?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/things-to-do\/carnevale-in-venice\/#So%E2%80%A6_youre_saying_Carnevale_in_Venice_has_been_celebrated_non-stop_since_the_13th_century\" >So&#8230; you&#8217;re saying Carnevale in Venice has been celebrated non-stop since the 13th century?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/things-to-do\/carnevale-in-venice\/#What_is_Venices_Carnevale_like_today\" >What is Venice&#8217;s Carnevale like today?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/things-to-do\/carnevale-in-venice\/#All_about_Venetian_masks\" >All about Venetian masks<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/things-to-do\/carnevale-in-venice\/#Mask-making_in_Venice\" >Mask-making in Venice<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/things-to-do\/carnevale-in-venice\/#Mask_shops_in_Venice\" >Mask shops in Venice<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/things-to-do\/carnevale-in-venice\/#When_is_Venices_carnevale\" >When is Venice&#8217;s carnevale?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Venice_carnival_history\"><\/span>Venice carnival history<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Where_did_the_idea_of_Carnevale_come_from\"><\/span>Where did the idea of <em>Carnevale<\/em> come from?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>During the 40 days of Lent, parties were off-limits\u2014and so was eating foods like meat, sugar, and fats. As a result, people would try to get rid of all of their rich food and drink (and get their partying out of the way!) before Lent. Hence&#8230; carnival. (In fact, the word <em>Carnevale <\/em>is said to come from the Latin words <em>carne\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0<em>vale,\u00a0<\/em>meaning &#8220;farewell to meat&#8221;!).<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/venice-gondola-tradition-tips-advice-italy\">Venetian tradition<\/a>, Venice&#8217;s carnival got its start in 1162, when townspeople celebrated a victory over the Patriarch of Aquileia. The festival declined during the 18th century. By the 16th century, Venetians were celebrating <em>Carnevale<\/em> in style.<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-15077\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/mask-1590809_1280.jpg\" alt=\"Mask Venice\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" \/>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"So%E2%80%A6_youre_saying_Carnevale_in_Venice_has_been_celebrated_non-stop_since_the_13th_century\"><\/span>So&#8230; you&#8217;re saying <em>Carnevale<\/em> in Venice has been celebrated non-stop since the 13th century?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Not quite. By the 18th century, Venice&#8217;s <em>Carnevale<\/em> festivities were going downhill. With the Austrian conquest of Venice in 1798, mask-wearing\u2014as well as <em>Carnevale<\/em>\u2014were all but finished. In the 1930s, Mussolini banned the celebrations altogether.<\/p>\n<p>So what changed? In 1979, a group of Venetian artisans banned together to restart <em>Carnevale<\/em>. If that seems like a ploy for tourism, it was\u2014and it was one that worked. Today, about 3 million people travel to Venice every year for <em>Carnevale<\/em>. The 1970s are also when the long-forgotten art of mask-making was restarted.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_Venices_Carnevale_like_today\"><\/span>What is Venice&#8217;s <em>Carnevale<\/em> like today?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Today, <em>Carnevale<\/em> in Venice is a huge celebration that goes on for two weeks. While many events\u2014particularly the opulent masquerade balls\u2014require invitations and have steep ticket prices, many others, like the candle-lit parade of boats, concerts, and street performances, are free and open to the public.<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\" alignnone wp-image-3726 size-full\" title=\"Carnival in venice\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/DSC_0134-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/DSC_0134-scaled.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/DSC_0134-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/DSC_0134-1536x1020.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"All_about_Venetian_masks\"><\/span>All about Venetian masks<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The tradition of masking has a long tradition in Venice. All the way back in 1268, a law even was passed to ban &#8211; of all things &#8211; putting on masks and throwing perfumed eggs!<\/p>\n<p>By the time of the Renaissance, masks were a fixture of <em>Carnevale<\/em> celebrations. By the 16th century, the popular <i>Commedia d&#8217;Arte <\/i>troupe performed\u00a0slapstick comedy in the piazzas of Venice\u2014while masked. Believe it or not, though, masking was hardly just a Carnival tradition.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3723\" style=\"width: 910px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Pietro_Longhi_-_The_Ridotto_in_Venice_-_WGA13416.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3723\" class=\" wp-image-3723 size-full\" title=\"Painting of Venice Carnival\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Pietro_Longhi_-_The_Ridotto_in_Venice_-_WGA13416.jpg\" alt=\"Venice Carnevale\" width=\"900\" height=\"650\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Pietro_Longhi_-_The_Ridotto_in_Venice_-_WGA13416.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Pietro_Longhi_-_The_Ridotto_in_Venice_-_WGA13416-768x555.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3723\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pietro Longhi&#8217;s &#8220;The Ridotto,&#8221; showing the commonplace use of masks 1750s Venice<\/p><\/div>\n<p>By the 18th century, Venetians were allowed to wear masks for six months a year. And they took advantage!\u00a0Black velvet masks, for example, would be worn in &#8220;houses of ill repute&#8221;\u2014especially gambling parlors\u2014to shield their owners&#8217; identities, as shown in the painting here.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Mask-making_in_Venice\"><\/span>Mask-making in Venice<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/A2j0rKaWo6g?rel=0\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/h3>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Mask_shops_in_Venice\"><\/span>Mask shops in Venice<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>First off, be aware that the majority of mask shops in Venice sell cheap, imported masks, a far cry from the artisanal tradition that Venetian mask-making truly is. So do yourself, and the artisans of Venice, a favor, and choose your mask shop carefully. Need help? Here are some of our favorite mask shops in Venice (several of which even run mask-making workshops; check their websites for more!<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Benor Maschere Venezia<\/strong> (<em>S. Croce 1109<\/em>): Hidden behind Campo San Giacomo dell\u2019Orio, this artisanal mask shop boasts a gorgeous collection, all made there in the workshop.<br \/>\n<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.camacana.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ca\u2019 Macana<\/a><\/strong>: This Venetian mask shop, located just off Campo San Barnaba, has an unparalleled selection of Carnevale masks. They\u2019re handcrafted in the workshop right there, and you can watch them being made.<\/li>\n<li><strong> Ca\u2019 del Sol Maschere<\/strong> (<em>Castello 4964<\/em>): Artisans handcraft the Venetian masks at this shop a 5-minute walk from St. Mark\u2019s Basilica; exquisite Carnevale costumes are on sale here, too.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/kartaruga.it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Il Canovaccio<\/a>:<\/strong> The artisans at this Venetian mask shop create amazing masks and papier-m\u00e2ch\u00e9 objects meant for the stage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_3730\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/800px-Venetian_masks_-_shop_in_Venice.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3730\" class=\" wp-image-3730 size-full\" title=\"Venetian masks\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/800px-Venetian_masks_-_shop_in_Venice.jpg\" alt=\"Venetian mask shop in Venice\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/800px-Venetian_masks_-_shop_in_Venice.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/800px-Venetian_masks_-_shop_in_Venice-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3730\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Venetian mask shop in Venice<\/p><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_is_Venices_carnevale\"><\/span>When is Venice&#8217;s carnevale?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/venice\/carnival-in-italy\"><em>Carnevale<\/em> in Venice<\/a>, as with carnival around the world, takes place in the days leading up to Lent. It lasts for 10 days, usually starting at the end of January or beginning of February.<\/p>\n<p>Happy <em>Carnevale<\/em>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Carnival (or &#8220;Carnevale&#8221;) is one of the biggest celebrations in Italy &#8211; and from Venetian masks to masquerade balls, no place does it like Venice!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":3722,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[68,101,73,84,70,136,82],"ppma_author":[197],"class_list":["post-3721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-things-to-do","tag-art","tag-culture","tag-events","tag-festivals","tag-traditions","tag-venice","tag-winter"],"authors":[{"term_id":197,"user_id":89,"is_guest":0,"slug":"cristinac","display_name":"Cristina C.","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Cristina-Conti.png","url2x":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Cristina-Conti.png"},"user_url":"","last_name":"C.","first_name":"Cristina","job_title":"","description":"Cristina is originally from New Jersey but has been living and working in the beautiful city of Rome for many years. She's passionate about all things Italy including food, fashion, art and travel and shares her adventures in Italy, Europe and beyond through her writing and social media. Fun facts: her favorite city in Italy is Bari and her favorite gelato flavor is pistachio."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3721"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/89"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3721"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3721\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21046,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3721\/revisions\/21046"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3722"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3721"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3721"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3721"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=3721"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}