Italians seem to exploit every opportunity to celebrate as a community and right now it’s Carnival, time to have fun before the penitential period of Lent. The Carnival at Viareggio is strong competition for the one at Venice, and it’s so little known outside Italy that you rarely hear a foreign language being spoken.
The performers
The audience
Everything is focused on the festive parade of magnificent papier mâché floats that sally forth every Sunday for a month or so and on Shrove Tuesday (the schedule changes each year). You need to arrive early to get a parking space, but you won’t get bored while waiting. The setting is the passegiata or boardwalk with its backdrop of ‘stile liberty’ buildings and beach establishments.
People of all ages come to enjoy the spectacle, many showing off their costumes.
Old
Young
In between
Aspiring teenagers
Animals are there too.
Rare species
Only known case of a ladybird (bug) being born to giraffes
Exotic
Common
Dead
If you’re alert, you’ll see some amusing vignettes.
Ciao tutti!
Which storybook are you from?
He-man
She wasn't impressed?
There’s fast food…
Fast food
…and slow food.
Cacciucco (fish stew) at a bagno
At 3 pm three canon shots announce the start of the parade of floats.
Puffs of moke from the canon
Some are several storeys tall…
Obama above the bankers
…and others are people on the ground wearing elaborate headdresses.
Berlusconi beneath the babes
Some satirise politicians…
Superman to the rescue
Cradle snatcher
Who's she?
…and some feature films and pop stars.
Nearly his last appearance
Some are monuments to the skill and ingenuity of the people who design and build the floats, now full-time jobs.
Flying and breathing fire as the band plays and choir sings
As the sun sets, the floats go round for the last time and spectators drift happily homewards.
(I’d like to thank Klaus Falbe-Hansen for his keen eye, excellent photos and unfailing sense of humour at Carnival 2010.)
Heather Jarman invites you on inspiring culinary tours of life behind the scenes that you won’t find in any guidebook — get to know the food artisans and craftspeople of Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont and Liguria. Come join me and my Italian friends and dip into a lifestyle where lunch is more important than business. Find out more at Sapori e Saperi Adventures and follow Heather’s own adventures on her blog.
Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.
Heather, these photos are absolutely fantastic! Where is Viareggio?
Yes, Klaus is an excellent photographer, especially considering he’s bridge engineer, not a professional photographer. Viareggio is the next town on the Tuscan coast north of Pisa.