The Ancient Carnival

[Immagine di una coppia in maschera]La stagion del Carnovale
tutto il Mondo fa cambiar.
Chi sta bene e chi sta male
Carnevale fa rallegrar.

Chi ha denari se li spende;
chi non ne ha ne vuol trovar;
e s’impegna, e poi si vende,
per andarsi a sollazzar.

Qua la moglie e là il marito,
ognuno va dove gli par;
ognun corre a qualche invito,
chi a giocare e chi a ballar.

Firma di Carlo Goldoni

In this section of the site, you’ll discover how the Venetians lived during carnival. We will guide you through this unique experience and give you the chance to learn about the history of the carnival, the places where Venetians used to meet, the masks and costumes, Venetian traditions, and small items of interest that will increase your knowledge of the Venetian people. This section of the site runs in parallel with the modern carnival, bringing to light old Venetian customs and the excitement of the carnival of days gone by.

The Carnival History

The oldest document pertaining to the use of masks in Venice dates back to 2nd May 1268. In the document it is written that it was forbidden for masqueraders to practice the game of the "eggs". From the early 14th century onwards, new...

The Carnival Places

The Venice carnival was a magical time for everyone and involved the whole city. It broke all the rules of society and State and gave the average man the chance to lose himself in revelry. This was an intense period for the Venetians as they...

The Masks

The mask in the city of Venice has ancient origins and was used for many months of the year. Masks were allowed from the day of Santo Stefano, which marked the start of the Venetian carnival, to midnight of Shrove Tuesday which marked the end....


How Venetians does Carnival during the Serenissima Republic? In this section we will study this. The carnival started three days early with dances in the Corte del Fondaco dei Turchi. The Venetians loved dancing and many other places were...