The Basilicia San Marco, part of our Venice mp3 tour
The Venice Carnival kicks off this weekend and, as our guide to Venice, explains, it’s one of the most exciting times of the year.
The word Carnival means, literally ‘meat good-bye’ and the event originally marked the day when people would eat up the last of the meet before fasting for Lent. But for centuries the Carnival of Venice has been a decidedly unreligious event.
As early as the twelfth century there are records of people being forbidden from playing something called the ‘egg game’ and during the 15th century men were being warned by the authorities not to enter convents while dressed as nuns.
But it wasn’t just men – women were whipped as they ran from from St Mark's to the Rialto bridge and then held up to public ridicule between the two columns overlooking the canal in St Mark's Square.
This Saturday you can enjoy hot chocolate in costume at the Hotel Danieli followed by a moon masquerade at the Luna Hotel Baglioni.
The Serenissima Gran Ball takes place at the 14th century Palazzo Pesaro Papavafa which has a beautiful gothic facade overlooking the canal of the Misericordia. The palace will be illuminated entirely with candles with music by Mozart.
The ideal accompaniment to any Venice break is our Venice mp3 tour.
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
