If you didn’t make it to Mardi Gras in New Orleans to celebrate Fat Tuesday, hop over to the Tuscan Coast of Italy for one of four remaining carnival parades. Multiple carnival celebrations take place throughout Italy at this time each year. What makes the 143 year old #CarnevalediViareggio special is its size and artistic pageantry. Over 200,000 spectators attend the month-long series of events showcasing fabulous floats along 3 kilometers of the palm-tree lined promenade by the sea.
Since 1873, when the parade began with decorated carriages along the Via Regia, this carnival parade entertains with effigies of (in)famous people, sports athletes and politicians who are sometimes in attendance to view the spectacle. There are a total of five masked parades; the next three Sundays and the first Saturday in March are the remaining dates in 2016. In addition to the parades filled with larger than life floats, there are daytime and nighttime festivities including parties and masked balls. On the final day judges award the best floats and cap off the event with a large fireworks display.
Preparing for this $5 million event involves a lot of planning and preparation. “La Cittadella” is a building and event complex housing 2 museums and 16 warehouses; the warehouses are utilized by masters of paper-mâché to create the gigantic floats. One museum displays the history and pageantry of the carnival celebration, the other, ”Carnevalotto”, displays a collection of valuable works of art.
Viareggio is located north of Pisa on the Tyrhennian coast and is a relatively short train ride from Pisa, Lucca & Florence. Daily tickets are 18 Euros for 12 + over, 13 Euros for ages 7-12 and children under 7 are free. Reserved seating is available for an additional 10 Euro per person.
Carnevale di Viareggio Official Website
#CarnevalediViareggio #carnevale #viareggio #lisalovestotravel @travelwithlisa
Photo Credits:
Carnival Float Heads: alexandraalisa via Foter.com / CC BY
Carnival Float Clown: joolia. via Foter.com / CC BY
Carnival Float Pig: joolia. via Foter.com / CC BY
Carnival Float Faces: sfmission.com via Foter.com / CC BY
Carnival Float Dinosaur Skeleton: sfmission.com via Foter.com / CC BY
Carnival Float T-Rex: Lorenzo Bl via Foter.com / CC BY-ND
Carnevale Enthusiasts: Visit Tuscany via Foter.com / CC BY
Burlamacco: HHA124L via Foter.com / CC BY
lisa loves to travel 