The geographical location of the town and the ever increasing dominance of the port ensured a constant communication with Western Europe and Italy in particular, their grand carnivals and the Venetian carnival in particular shaping the festivities and giving the carnival to this day its western characteristics.
The geographical location of the town and the ever increasing dominance of the port ensured a constant communication with Italy and the rest of Western Europe. Their grand carnivals and the Venetian carnival in particular were particularly influential in shaping the festivities and giving the carnival to this day its western characteristics.