Verona Carnival
Verona's spectacular carnival includes a grand parade of masks, an historical Regatta on the river Adige and the traditional distribution of gnocchi (small potato dumplings) to the people of the city.
AdvertisementAfter the terrible plague that struck Verona in 1660, a local nobleman, the regent of the Venetian government, celebrated the end of the period of death and starvation in characteristically Italian fashion: offering a plate of gnocchi to the people of Verona, who joyfully congregated in the city's squares.
This magnanimity earned the regent a peculiar type of immortal fame; he didn't get a civic medal, but came to figure among the legendary maschere, larger-than-life characters somewhere between clowns, rascals and super-heroes; many have forgotten his real name and title, though he remains in the collective unconscious as Il Papá dello Gnocco, Daddy Gnocchi. Other famous masks include Orlando il Furioso, and the burlesque Conte Polentone, Count Polenta.
While everybody can dress up and play all sorts of tricks in the carnival period, each quarter of the town elects its most beloved and characteristic citizen to play the roles of the famous masks. Local characters, beauties, nutters and drunkards are paraded around in full regalia, and in some cases, the same old-timers retain their crown year after year.
Although 24 January is when celebrations are most intensive, there is also plenty of fun to be had in the days surrounding the event.
