The Best Carnival in Italy

Carnival in Italy is serious stuff, and everyone from children to adults can’t wait to begin this crazy time of the year. Rich in tradition and history, Carnival has its roots in the Greek Dionysia or the Roman Saturnalia, and today takes on different connotations in every city of Italy.If you visit Italy during Carnival season, you will find typical food that it is made only during this time. The sweet par excellence of Carnival is a fried dough made with flour, eggs, and sugar that, depending on the region, has a different name such as chiacchiere (in Sicily, Piedmont, Lombardy, Campania) and cenci in Tuscany.But what are the most beautiful carnival festivals in Italy? Here are the best Italian carnivals, including wagons, masks and typical clothes, from the oldest to the most beautiful!

Best Carnival in Italy: Venice

The Venice Carnival is the most highly anticipated carnival in Italy. It takes place everywhere in the city and includes marches by boat among the romantic canals and typical masks in Piazza San Marco. Among the important can’t-miss events are the “Flight of the Angel” (Volo dell’Angelo) from the Campanile di San Marco.

Best Carnival in Italy: Ivrea

Ivrea is located in the Piedmont region, not far from Turin. Here you can find a picturesque Carnival.  The Battle of Oranges takes place on Fat Tuesday, where you can see the “orange walkers,” representing the people, drive away the “wrestlers” on horse-drawn carts that representing the “tyrant.” In the Middle Ages, the Tyrant claimed the “jus prime noctis” on a miller’s daughter, who rebelled by turning on the revolt.

Best Carnival in Italy: Putignano

In Puglia, near Bari, Putignano is the most famous Carnival Festival in Southern Italy. The city is near Bari, Apulia and this Carnival is one of the oldest in Europe. Suffice to say that it has been taking place nearly 700 years!

Best Carnival in Italy: Viareggio

Along with Putignano, Viareggio Carnival is among the oldest and most spectacular in Italy. At Viareggio, near Torre del Lago, you can see huge allegorical wagons of over 25 companies and more than 1,000 workers!

Best Carnival in Italy: Fano

This Carnival is strictly connected with the Rio de Janeiro Carnival. It includes allegorical floats that rise over 20 meters in height! But the real feature is the tradition of gettito, the launch of gifts and candies.

Best Carnival in Italy: Montemaro

Montemarano is in the province of Avellino, near Naples. This carnival starts on January 17 and ends the following Sunday at the Ashes with dead Carnival. With the rhythm of the tarantella, you can be free without inhibitions until Sunday’s funeral when you return to normal life. The propitiatory folkloric dance pushes the evil away, wishing a good agricultural year.

Carnival 2018 in Italy: When Does it Start?

Carnival in 2018 starts on January 28th, with Giovedì Grasso. Everything culminates on Sunday the 11th and ends on Fat Tuesday, February 13th.