Venice Carnivale - (Series Header)
t is the ultimate dress fest. It is the ultimate dress fest. All those masks you see sitting in the shops - the ones you think to yourself, “Oh, wouldn’t that be nice up on my wall in a pretty arrangement?” - they all come alive during Carnevale.
Masks are only part of the celebration, though. The costumery is the part that fills it out, and ranges from the simple and traditional, to exquisite re-creations of the dress of sixteenth century nobility, and to the whimsical and the bizarre.
The cameras are packed, flights are booked, and we’ve arranged an apartment. We’ll get costumes there.
We arrived at the airport the Friday afternoon before Fat Tuesday. Cold, gray, biting air on our cheeks and noses reminded us we were in the north of Italy.
Next day, we get to the piazza at San Marco for the afternoon show of fantastic costumes and promenade. We also hit some of the shops and procure capes to fill out our costumery.
Still not getting over jet lag, but it doesn't matter. Carnevale is an afternoon/evening activity. We stop over in San Marco again to view more exquisite costumes and then wander through the city, getting lost and perusing more shops.
Nothing much happens on Monday, for some reason. It's a good excuse to wander the city and find more costume shops. We're part of the show, now, being stopped for photographs. We add a few touches and end the day in our favorite restaurant
Frenzied activity of the last day. I position myself close to the promenade, but it's a bust, photographically. After standing in one place for three hours for lousy shots, I turn against the crowd...
Packing, and then a final wander through the town, unmasked. Mixed feelings about not being in costume, reflecting on the event as I lean against a column, back in _San Marco._. And then, the bells from the _campanile_...
There are some for whom masks detract...
You want to do carnival, but you don't know where to start or what it's going to cost. Here's a short guide.
For the photographers in the crowd, there are a few challenges you'll run into trying to shoot all the fabulous costumes. Here are a few issues you might want to be aware of, and some tips and technique suggestions to handle them.
An evening in an true paisano ristorante. Food and vino, si, but song and life, too.
"Out there" costumes
Kids can be part of Carnevale, too