Liguria Carnevale Season
Logano Liguria
Carnival Logano, Liguria, Italy Carnevale.
It doesn't matter whether you call it Carnival, Carnevale,
or Mardi Gras. There's nothing like a Carnival celebration to help banish those winter
blues. Italy is one of the best places to view and participate in a Carnevale vacation.
Everywhere you will find Carnevale masks, costumes, allegorical floats, special food and
wine. And interestingly enough, each Italian region does Carnevale differently. What are you
waiting for?
This fabulous celebration occurs 40 days before Easter so the date varies. Carnevale 2010 is
on February 16th, Carnevale 2011 is on March 8th, but Carnevale season starts earlier.
Plan your Italian holidays now. Keep reading.
As in many other parts of the world, Carnevale in Liguria owes a lot to the Brazilian Carnival (Carnival in Rio de Janeiro) with its allegorical floats and masks. In Liguria the most popular masks denote figures known as Arlecchino, Il Dottore, Pulcinella, Pantalone, Gianduja, and Columbine. The largest Ligurian Carnevale is held in the town (about eleven thousand) of Logano, approximately 35 miles (60 kilometers) southwest of Genoa, the regional capital. The locals call it Carnevalöa and the town hosts a variety of parades teeming with allegorical floats and masked participants and spectators.
On Carnevale Sunday ceremonies start when the keys to the city are handed over to Beciancìn, the King of the Carnival, at the main square, Piazza d’Italia. He is greeted by locals and delegations coming from all over Italy, and, I daresay, tourists from all over the world. Several events dedicated to children with masked balls, games, and that good old favorite, crostoli, deep-fried pasta dough dusted with icing sugar. Locals may assure you that this delicious pastry, best enjoyed at Carnivale and Christmas, originates in Liguria. Don’t miss the spectacular horserace known as the Palio dei Borghi or the marching bands with majorettes.
Carnival Diano Marina, Liguria, Italy Carnevale.
Diano Marina is a town of about six thousand people located about 55 miles (90 kilometers) southwest of Genoa. Since 1966 this town celebrates Carnevale with a parade that attracts thousands of costumed people complete with a folk band. The following Sunday you’ll find a parade of papier maché floats festooned with flowers. Liguria is flower country.
The seaside resort town of Moneglia, population under three thousand, located about 35 miles (60 kilometers) southeast of Genoa, is home to one of the most unusual Carnevale in all of Italy. This event, known as the Carnevale della Zucca (Carnival of the Pumpkin), originated when two peasants argued over the ownership of a pumpkin that grew on the boundary separating their farms. I can’t promise you pumpkin pie but you should enjoy this Carnevale and the local food and wine.
San Remo, the flower capital of Liguria, hosts the Sanremoinfiore (San Remo Flower Parade) that some call a carnival on the last Sunday in January. Every city of the Italian Riviera presents a float in the form of an original flower composition. If you feel like viewing some high-level competition, you can cross the French border and visit the Carnival of Nice. It’s a big one. It’s a fine one. It’s nice. But it’s not Italian. And wherever you go and whatever you do, check out the fine local wines.
About the Author
Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. Visit his website www.travelitalytravel.com devoted to Italian travel with an accent on fine Italian wine and food. Visit his central wine website www.theworldwidewine.com with weekly reviews of $10 wine and columns devoted to various aspects of wine including wine and food, humor, trivia, organic and kosher wine and lots more.
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