...it's C-a-r-n-e-v-a-l-e!

Ciao tutti,

Yes, here in Italy, Carnevale (Carnival) is upon us! For two weeks or so before the beginning of Lent, several cities throw large festivals with parades, music, and LOTS of costumes. The largest and most well known festivities happen in Venezia (Venice), and thus that’s where we went!

SIDE NOTE: I want to apologize in advance for all the photos in this post. This trip was so great and there were too many photos from which to choose, so I ended up including almost all the ones I took! I hope you enjoy.

A small group of us decided to spend the day in Venice this past Friday, and the train ride was fairly cheap and only about an hour-and-a-half away. Even before we arrived, there were people in costume on the train and others were already starting to paint their faces.

Besides the increased number of costumes, painted faces, and masks, the first thing we noticed when we left the train station was its location! So far in almost every other city to which we have traveled, the station has been in a pretty dull or gloomy part of town. The Venice station, on the other hand, opens right onto the Grand Canal with a beautiful view of the Ponte degli Scalzi as well as the church San Simeone Piccolo with its green dome.

People in costume at the Venice train station

People in costume right outside the station

My friend Adrienne and I standing outside the Venice train station
with San Simeone Piccolo behind us across the Grand Canal

the Ponte degli Scalzi crossing the Grand Canal, with
some docked gondolas in the foreground

Before moving on from this part of town, we noticed that there were several make-up artists set up right outside the station ready to paint intricate and festive designs on visitors’ faces. So we decided to go with the flow (after all, we’re in Venice for Carnival!) and get our faces painted! 

Adrienne getting her face painted

Me getting my face painted

The finished product!

My friend Emily and I with the Ponte degli Scalzi behind us

Our plan then was to walk through to the other side of Venice towards Piazza San Marco, the main square of the city that looks out onto the sea. Although it was a pretty long walk, there is absolutely nothing like meandering through the maze-like streets of Venice, especially during such a festive time as Carnival!

We had brought some food with us to Venice (so as not to have to stop to eat lunch at a pricey restaurant while we were there) so we found a little piazza (la Fondamenta della Maddalena, to be exact) to stop and enjoy our bread, meat, cheese, fruit, chocolate, and wine.

A view of the buildings surrounding the piazza where we had our picnic

All of us after lunch sitting on a bridge above the small canal that bordered our piazza

We then continued our journey through the maze of Venice, stumbling upon a hole-in-the-wall mask shop. Le maschere (masks) are a staple of Venetian Carnival, and there are vendors all over the city with intricate masks to sell. The store we found had a fantastic selection of homemade masks, and the woman there was incredibly nice. She loved that we were students from the United States, and I enjoyed practicing my Italian with her while chatting about everything from politics to food.

Some full-faced masks. Notice the long-nosed ones in the
second row from the bottom. These are known as "plague
doctor" masks, worn by doctors during the Black Death to
protect them from the rotten smell of the plague. The
tradition has stuck and the masks can be seen all across
the city during Carnevale.

The always popular eye-masks.

The store where we bought our masks.

My friends Adrienne and Sierra wearing their masks.

We eventually made it to Piazza San Marco, where most of the festivities were occurring. It was there that we encountered some of the most elegant and decorative costumes, as well as some great music, and a beautiful sunset in a clear sky over the water.

My friends Michelle and Sierra with a costumed woman

People in costume.

The main stage with a live music performer.

A couple in costume.

A family in costume!

A Carnevale wedding?

I caught these costumed people
taking a picture of themselves!

A cool picture I captured of a bird flying past St. Mark's Basilica

St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace

il Ponte dei Sospiri (the Bridge of Sighs)

The incredible sunset over Piazza San Marco

A costumed woman standing on the docks
that we lovingly nicknamed "Ms. Rainbow."

I leave you with some more pictures of my friends and I enjoying our masks, face-paint, each other’s company, and the overall ambiance of Venezia during Carenvale. Such an incredible day.

Emily, Sierra, myself, and Mollie

My friend Mollie and I

Enjoying the confetti

Pringles by the dock :) life is good.

Ciao for now,

Augusto