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CARNIVAL FESTIVALS IN ITALY

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When it’s time to celebrate Carnival, Italy is filled with many events, which differ from one city to another, offering an explosion of colors, music, and tradition. They range from huge parades featuring large allegorical floats made of paper-maché, performers and bands, to balls and parties with elaborate costumes or recreations of medieval battles. Begin your carnival adventure with an elegant ball in the beautiful Venice and end it with the traditional battle of oranges in Ivrea passing from the huge carnival parade of Verona, one of the oldest Italian carnivals

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

  • Discover different Carnival Italian traditions
  • Travel across the Northern areas: Venice, Verona and Turin
  • Savour several local specialties: from the Venetian Cicchetti to the Spirits of Piedmont

SUMMARY

This tour features 8 nights of accommodations in boutique properties (3 nights in Venice, 2 nights in Verona, 3 nights in Turin), with full buffet breakfasts. Starting in Venice and ending in Turin, this tour includes private transportation by deluxe van. A part of this vacation package are also several meals as well as different tastings of local delicacies, multiple city tours and day trips, all with English-speaking guides and entrances to listed attractions. Professional English-speaking assistance is provided for the duration of the tour.

Welcome to Italy. Upon your arrival at Venice airport, you will be transferred to your Hotel in the city center. Take some time to cool off from the jet lag and in the afternoon start the urban exploration of Venice with a private guided tour of the city. Masks in Venice once had enormous significance in social relations and in some cases they were made compulsory by law during the Serenissima Republic, and over the centuries masks makers had considerably refined their art. Discover the making of a Venetian Mask, through clay modeling, the creation of the negative mold in chalk, and the application of papier-mache. You will then decorate your mask. For the afternoon take life as Venetians do and take a tour in the most characteristic neighbors of the town hopping between the local “bacari” (wine bars) sipping a glass of wine with some typical nibbles called “cicheti”. All festivities in Italy have special foods and carnival is no exception. Delve into the world of the typical sweets of the Venetian carnival with a cooking class and learn how to make the traditional “Galani” (thin fried sweet fresh pasta) and “frittelle” (little fried dough balls). After you have soaked into the local traditions, it’s time to get ready for your grand ball. Imagine yourself walking through the streets of Venice, beautifully dressed in your historical costume; imagine a Carnival Gala dinner in a timeless palace, with live music and performers from all around the world… well all this turns into reality and becomes a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience.

An ancient local motto says “Veronesi tuti mati” (Veronese are all mad), and this is referred to the carnival traditions of the town. The carnival of Verona is among the oldest in Italy and the “king of the carnival”, the “Papà del gnocco” is actually the oldest Italian carnival character. You’ll leave Venice late in the morning and reach Verona for lunch. You’ll eat gnocchi (potato dumplings) which is the traditional carnival dish of the town and get ready to assist in the parade of historical characters wearing beautiful costumes and allegorical floats.Take a morning at leisure to explore the city of Romeo and Juliet on your own. In the afternoon take a short trip to the nearby Valpolicella wine region and taste the local famous wines such as Amarone and Recioto in a beautiful winery.

In the morning travel from Verona to Turin aboard a high-speed train. In the afternoon join your guide on the exploration of Italy’s first modern capital: admire stunning palaces and churches built in Baroque style during the kingdom of the Savoy family. Make sure to stop in one of the many historical cafès and have a break with the legendary Bicerin, a traditional coffee/ chocolate drink. Treat your sweet tooth in the morning to a tasting at the Chocolate Laboratory: the tradition of chocolate-making has sustained in Turin since the 17th century and is nowadays still very strong. In the afternoon take a short tour out of Turin and visit Casa Martini, an immense historical building with walls that tell tales of over 150 years of the iconic Martini drinks. Tour the wine museum and botanical room, check out the old laboratory, explore the history of Martini design in Mondo Martini Gallery, and round it all off with a full-immersion Vermouth masterclass. One of the most original, folk celebrations in Italy is the celebration of the carnival of Ivrea, a few miles away from Turin. This one-of-a-kind carnival revokes the battle between the “arancini a piedi” (orange handlers on foot) who represent the population and the tiratori di arance (orange shooters riding in carts), who parade the streets of the city aboard horse-drawn carriages, representing the tyrant. But the rituals of the Carnival of Ivrea at mardi gras include a beautiful parade of characters in medieval costumes and the much-awaited presentation of the beautiful Mugnaia (Miller’s daughter), princess of the carnival. Make sure to wear during this day in Ivrea a red cap: a mandatory accessory that will prevent you from being mistaken for a participant in the battle and ensure you are not battered with oranges.

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