On Sunday we all boarded a train and headed north to Viareggio, which is located on the Tuscan coast, for a once-in-a-lifetime experience: Carnevale!
Carnevale (what we call Carnival) has been celebrated for centuries, first by the Romans and ancient Egyptians. It then became associated with the Christian celebration of Lent and Easter during the Middle Ages. It is now celebrated as the last festival before Lent, when many Catholics give up eating meat (carne means “meat”). What it really is is a chance for religious folks to let loose before Lent! Carnevale lasts four weeks, and the festivities culminate today, Martedì Grasso (Fat Tuesday), which is the day before Ash Wednesday. There will probably be some partying in the streets of Florence tonight!
The entire Carnevale period is marked throughout the world with parties, masquerade balls, theatrics, acrobatics, and other festivities. Venice is probably best known in Italy (and perhaps the world) as the place to celebrate Carnevale, but Viareggio puts on quite a show too. You see, Viareggio has added its own unique element to Carnevale: a parade. The idea to celebrate Carnevale in Viareggio dates back to 1873. The parade and its famous floats made their first appearance at the end of the 19th century. Viareggio, which sits on the Ligurian Sea, has a long history of shipbuilding, and master shipbuilders began applying their skills to building massive floats. Today these floats, which usually take a year to build, can be up to 50 feet high, weigh up to 40 tons, and hold up to 200 people in costume! What draws people back to Viareggio year after year are the floats that make statements. Tuscans tend to be quite witty, and many of the floats poke fun at political figures, soccer stars, and celebrities.
We all met at the Santa Maria Novella station at 10:30. I was so pleased to see how many students really got into the spirit of Carnevale, showing up with elaborate masks. The train ride took about an hour and a half, and for many students, this was their first Italian train experience. Once we arrived in Viareggio, we were given return train tickets, with our choice of trains to take back to Florence. The AIFS staff then led us to one of the entrances to Carnevale, where we were given our entrance tickets. Then everyone dispersed, and I never saw anyone I knew again—that’s how crowded it was!
As for me, I went immediately to the sea! Florence is landlocked, and I must admit that I’ve missed the ocean. Viareggio is a lovely seaside village that rather has the feel of Santa Cruz, and many of the buildings are done in an Art Deco style. I walked along the beach and then out to the end of one of the piers. Looking back onto the beach was magnificent! The beach stretches the length of the town, and towering up behind the town are the Apuane Alps, completely covered with snow. What a striking contrast!
Because the parade didn’t begin until 3:00, I had time for lunch. I checked out a few places, passing them by, until I finally came upon a place called SeaGulls. Now I try to avoid restaurants in Italy with American names, but a quick glance in confirmed that this was no American restaurant. The place was packed, with everyone speaking Italian. I figured they knew how to pick a good place! I was given a prime table right in the window, where I could watch the world go by. I then ordered what was called a “Viareggian-style fish stew.” Wow! It turned out to be the best thing I’ve had yet in Italy. The stew arrived in a large bowl of thick tomato-based broth, filled with mussels, calamari, crawfish, and some other things I couldn’t identify, but that I ate anyway! I was so impressed with it, I even asked the waiter to take my picture, which he did gladly!
And then it was time to go fight the crowds! The festival draws thousands of people from all walks of life: locals, tourists, old, young, families, groups of friends, you name it. The excitement in the air is unbelievable! Children (and many adults) throw confetti and spray silly string on anyone who comes near (in one photo you can see the little girl who got me good!). The floats make their way along the sea promenade (what they call the viale a mare), blaring music (some of it American: Hey, hey baby, I want to know…will you be my girl?), while the crowds, like magic, split apart to let them through. (Unlike America, there are no barriers. If you get hit by a float, it’s your own darn fault!) I walked along the promenade for many blocks, getting into the music and excitement and snapping pictures along the way. By the time it was over, I was completely covered with confetti and feeling grand!
This is a day I will never forget but, alas, it had to come to an end. I boarded the 5:11 train back to Florence and ended up sitting on a train filled with our students, all of us covered in confetti and silly string. But no one seemed to mind. After all, as they say, A Carnevale Ogni Scherzo Vale! (All is fair at Carnival!)
Carnevale (what we call Carnival) has been celebrated for centuries, first by the Romans and ancient Egyptians. It then became associated with the Christian celebration of Lent and Easter during the Middle Ages. It is now celebrated as the last festival before Lent, when many Catholics give up eating meat (carne means “meat”). What it really is is a chance for religious folks to let loose before Lent! Carnevale lasts four weeks, and the festivities culminate today, Martedì Grasso (Fat Tuesday), which is the day before Ash Wednesday. There will probably be some partying in the streets of Florence tonight!
The entire Carnevale period is marked throughout the world with parties, masquerade balls, theatrics, acrobatics, and other festivities. Venice is probably best known in Italy (and perhaps the world) as the place to celebrate Carnevale, but Viareggio puts on quite a show too. You see, Viareggio has added its own unique element to Carnevale: a parade. The idea to celebrate Carnevale in Viareggio dates back to 1873. The parade and its famous floats made their first appearance at the end of the 19th century. Viareggio, which sits on the Ligurian Sea, has a long history of shipbuilding, and master shipbuilders began applying their skills to building massive floats. Today these floats, which usually take a year to build, can be up to 50 feet high, weigh up to 40 tons, and hold up to 200 people in costume! What draws people back to Viareggio year after year are the floats that make statements. Tuscans tend to be quite witty, and many of the floats poke fun at political figures, soccer stars, and celebrities.
We all met at the Santa Maria Novella station at 10:30. I was so pleased to see how many students really got into the spirit of Carnevale, showing up with elaborate masks. The train ride took about an hour and a half, and for many students, this was their first Italian train experience. Once we arrived in Viareggio, we were given return train tickets, with our choice of trains to take back to Florence. The AIFS staff then led us to one of the entrances to Carnevale, where we were given our entrance tickets. Then everyone dispersed, and I never saw anyone I knew again—that’s how crowded it was!
As for me, I went immediately to the sea! Florence is landlocked, and I must admit that I’ve missed the ocean. Viareggio is a lovely seaside village that rather has the feel of Santa Cruz, and many of the buildings are done in an Art Deco style. I walked along the beach and then out to the end of one of the piers. Looking back onto the beach was magnificent! The beach stretches the length of the town, and towering up behind the town are the Apuane Alps, completely covered with snow. What a striking contrast!
Because the parade didn’t begin until 3:00, I had time for lunch. I checked out a few places, passing them by, until I finally came upon a place called SeaGulls. Now I try to avoid restaurants in Italy with American names, but a quick glance in confirmed that this was no American restaurant. The place was packed, with everyone speaking Italian. I figured they knew how to pick a good place! I was given a prime table right in the window, where I could watch the world go by. I then ordered what was called a “Viareggian-style fish stew.” Wow! It turned out to be the best thing I’ve had yet in Italy. The stew arrived in a large bowl of thick tomato-based broth, filled with mussels, calamari, crawfish, and some other things I couldn’t identify, but that I ate anyway! I was so impressed with it, I even asked the waiter to take my picture, which he did gladly!
And then it was time to go fight the crowds! The festival draws thousands of people from all walks of life: locals, tourists, old, young, families, groups of friends, you name it. The excitement in the air is unbelievable! Children (and many adults) throw confetti and spray silly string on anyone who comes near (in one photo you can see the little girl who got me good!). The floats make their way along the sea promenade (what they call the viale a mare), blaring music (some of it American: Hey, hey baby, I want to know…will you be my girl?), while the crowds, like magic, split apart to let them through. (Unlike America, there are no barriers. If you get hit by a float, it’s your own darn fault!) I walked along the promenade for many blocks, getting into the music and excitement and snapping pictures along the way. By the time it was over, I was completely covered with confetti and feeling grand!
This is a day I will never forget but, alas, it had to come to an end. I boarded the 5:11 train back to Florence and ended up sitting on a train filled with our students, all of us covered in confetti and silly string. But no one seemed to mind. After all, as they say, A Carnevale Ogni Scherzo Vale! (All is fair at Carnival!)
2 comments:
Any chance we can get captions with the pictures (who's in the mask)?
Jennifer,
I wish I could add captions to the images, but I can't figure how to do it in Blogger. I guess these masked students will remain a mystery! Thanks for reading!
Carolyn
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