For as long as I remember, I have always wanted to visit Venice at Carnevale time. This year, I finally managed to tick it off my bucket list. Having visited before, some 15 odd years ago, I was familiar with Venice and the islands of Murano and Burano. Whilst I could, of course, see the beauty of the place, nothing could knock Rome from the top spot for me at the time. It was a pleasure to go back this time with fresh eyes and appreciate all that Venice has to offer, especially at this super popular time to visit (it’s estimated that some 3 million tourists descend on Venice over this period every year).
Access to Venice from Rome is fairly straight forward (sometimes there are direct trains but we changed in Bologna) and the train is not all that costly so it was a total no-brainer to take the opportunity to visit, especially as my time off from work aligned nicely with the period of Carnevale. At this point, it really is worth a total shout out to Freccia Rossa, the Italian high speed train provider. What great service, a smooth ride, on time and it didn’t cost the earth. I am from the UK and our train system is currently in tatters. There is much to learn from the Italian train system, definitely the intercity trains at least. Well done Italy on the service that you provide here! As a non car user at present, I rely on trains to go everywhere, so it is very much appreciated!
Anyway, I must admit, I always dreamed of going to a beautiful ball in full costume and dancing until the early hours of the morning at some lavish party to celebrate Carnevale. This was not the case, this time around, at least… Like many of my visits, they tend to be of a flying nature but I did manage to squeeze in a Spritz (a must when in Venice), a fritella (a traditional fried dough ball), not too dissimilar to a doughnut, often containing sultanas, citrus zest and pine nuts, consumed in this period. We also managed to stop in at a church – Chiesa di Santa Maria Maddalena to see the most amazing display of dioramas about the life of Jesus. I’m not religious but I found this absolutely fascinating. They were so intricate and totally explained in a super visual way all of the main bible stories.
We of course saw the main tourist points again – Il Ponte dei Sospiri, la Piazza San Marco and Il Ponte di Rialto but it was also a pleasure, having been there before, just wandering around at a more leisurely pace and snapping the many people in costumes.
The history of the Carnevale in Venice dates back to 1162 where it started in celebration of the Venice Republic’s victory over its enemy: the Patriarch or Aquileia. Venetians gathered in Saint Mark’s Square (San Marco) to dance and celebrate their victory. However, the celebrations did have a bit of a rocky road over the years… Sadly the Carnevale was banned after Napoleon conquered the Serenissima Republic in 1797, meaning Venice was no longer independent. Holy Roman Emperor Francis II banned masks, and with that, the spirit of the Carnival died. The fear was that it would be used as a means of the people conspiring against the government. However, the Carnevale was brought back by the Italian government in 1979 and lead to a push in tourism at this time of the year. What a stroke of luck/genius on the part of the government, but the initial aim was to reunite Venice with its festive heritage.
Carnevale takes place every February and lasts for roughly 10 days, ending Shrove Tuesday, before Ash Wednesday, when Lent begins. If you can make it to Venice for this period, I highly recommend it. Book in advance as flights and accommodation are more expensive at this time. I will certainly be back next time and I will be bringing my ball gown, mask and dancing shoes with me!
Fortunately the rain held off until it was time to head back. How did they know?!
For more information about Venice, the Carnevale and the delicious Frittelle, click on the links below!
