Around the end of January and the beginning of February the city is awaking from its winter hibernation.<\/p>\n
For the streets and squares it’s a lively, colourful, noisy awakening, attracting a diverse crowd of people.<\/p>\n
It’s the Carnival of Venice.<\/p>\n
An event which attracts brings visitors from around the world to the city year after year.<\/p>\n
Walking around you meet people with the most strange and amazing masks, all brought together in a blaze of extravagance and rich colour, with a bit of harmless exhibitionism and a great desire to have fun; entertainment for big kids and little ones alike.<\/p>\n
From the magnificent masks of ladies and knights from 1700s Venice, rich and elaborate with satin, velvet and lace, transporting you back through the centuries; to the classic masks of the Italian commedia dell’arte; to more original masks, born from the imaginations of the creators who wear them.<\/p>\n
Finally, the easiest attire for this festive period: a simple mask over the eyes, hiding the face.<\/p>\n
At the Carnival is there are nearly as many photographers as there are masks; armed with all their equipment, they wander the city to find the perfect angle for a shot that frames the most beautiful or unusual masks, who are in turn ready to strike a pose.<\/p>\n
Alongside the professionals is a large group of amateurs or simple tourists, brandishing their cameras to take home some memories of this incredible Venetian event.<\/p>\n
The preferred stage is, of course, Piazza San Marco, where it’s almost impossible to walk due to the amount of people, especially on weekends.<\/p>\n
It’s a fun crowd, and there’s no use hurrying to get anywhere; just dive in and get carried away, like floating in the waves, with your camera or phone to snap those essential photos.<\/p>\n
The square is also one of the main places where some of the events organised by the municipal city administration are held.<\/p>\n
One of the best known is the so-called “flight of the angel\/flight of the dove” in which a young girl, with a suitably sturdy harness, is lowered on a strong rope from St Mark’s Campanile down to a stage set up in the square, while a crowd of masks watches on with their noses in the air.<\/p>\n