Carnevale

Carnevale is Italy’s pre-Lenten carnival season, celebrated in the weeks before Ash Wednesday and reaching its climax on the final weekend and Shrove Tuesday. Three cities are especially famous. In Venice, crowds in capes, tricorn hats, and white bauta masks gather around Piazza San Marco and along the canals for costumed walks, photo stops, and stage events. In Viareggio, on the Tuscan coast, enormous satirical papier-mâché floats parade along the seafront promenade, the Passeggiata. In Ivrea, in Piedmont, the festival centers on the Battle of the Oranges, a loud street contest that fills the town with teams on foot, horse-drawn carts, and piles of orange peel.

The mood changes by place and by hour. In Venice, mornings often begin with people strolling in masks before the biggest midday crowds; you hear “Buon Carnevale!” and see Colombina half-masks, lace, velvet, and powdered wigs. In Viareggio, bands, confetti, and music build around the passing floats, which often mock politicians and current events. In Ivrea, orange-throwers on foot attack carts representing the tyrant’s guards, while spectators in red Phrygian caps signal that they must not be targeted. Across Italy, pastry shops fry and dust chiacchiere with sugar; these crisp ribbons are eaten all through Carnevale, especially during parade days and family outings.

The pack has 36 words spread across these domains.