Venice Unmasked and Carnival in Worldrover Travel Magazine

Worldrover TRAVEL MAGAZINE. August - September 2002

ALLAN ROGERS
visits Venice. ©

"It should be understood stone by stone, you have to go round on foot, dreaming inside the town, either alone, or with some nice girl".

THE CARNIVAL OF VENICE

Of the carnivals that brighten our winter, The Carnival of Venice can claim to be one of the oldest in Europe. The next one runs from the 21^st of February until the 4^th of March.

If you enjoy elegant fancy dress, masked balls, fine music all in a suberb setting then it is the place to be.

If I were asked to pick a highlight then it would be be attending
LA NOTTE D'ORO - "The Golden Night" its held at the
Palazzo Ca' Zenobio Imagine one of the most beautiful ballrooms in Venice with its golden ceiling, illuminated by candlelight. The shimmer and glamour of hundreds of masks, artists presenting the treasures of Venice, a dinner as in the golden period of this city, "The Serenissima", and the most beautiful costumes which, with their embroidery and pearls, reflect this atmosphere.
This last masquerade ball of the Carnival will take you into a world of surprises and amusements where almost everything is allowed. It will make you preserve a souvenir of this unique event till the next year. Dress Code: costume. It is a quality event and if you can get a ticket it will cost you € 330/ £216/

Alternatively for € 45 (£29.50) you could enjoy CIOCCOLATA CALDA IN COSTUME -
HOT CHOCOLATE IN COSTUME. The "Hot Chocolate" with cakes in an elegant café in the "Piazza",has been the Venetian Carnival time tradition since the 18th Century. You can also admire the big open-air show of Mardi-Gras in St. Mark's Square from the unique view of the Café Quadri first floor of the Gran Caffé Ristorante Quadri. This starts at 4.30pm

Contact for both events : Club Culturale Italiano
Santa Croce 1714 - 30135 Venezia
Tel. 041 717065 - Fax. 041 722285
E-Mail: info@meetingeurope.com Web: http://www.meetingeurope.com
These are just two of the many events.

VENICE BY NIGHT IS A WONDERFUL SIGHT

Venice of course is worth visiting at any time of the year, but to catch its magic, try to be there after the day trippers have gone.

Linger when the bustling crowds have departed on the jet foils or cruise ships.

Stay for a while and if you can, arrive by train.

I found that stepping out from the station was like entering the set of a grand opera.

To get to the hotel I had the choice of grabbing a gondola or catching a water taxi.

Everything from water busses to laundry boats jostled for position.

There was a great atmosphere. Later we let fate guide our feet through the little alleys and over the bridges past colourful bookstands.

There are so many things to catch your attention, corners where you need to hold your breath, (sometimes due to the drainage work,) other places where you hold it in wonder.

Such a place is
San Marco Square. When the bells echo around it a thousand pigeons take wing at once.

It all seems so familiar because you’ve seen it so many times on cards and calendars.

"It take time to understand Venice" a proud local told me,. "You have to live in Venice one year, two years. It should be understood stone by stone, you have to go round on foot, dreaming inside the town, either alone, or with some nice girl"

So how do you organise that, well one evening we turned a corner and found ourselves in a small square, absolutely packed with chattering people, it was like a vast cocktail party without the drinks or the sausages on sticks.

It was all part of the local way of life with young people meeting each evening, to chat and be chatted up. We very quickly became aware of just how reserved we were and just how animated the Italians are.

We left them to it and tracked down a memorable meal in a little restaurant, where to the sound of opera on the radio, plumbers and carpenters sat enjoying the pleasures of pasta.

We sipped the red wine and vowed to return