Masquerade! Paper Faces on Parade, Masquerade!

The whole reason for us going to Venice at that particular time was because we wanted to see the Carnevale at Venice. The Carnevale is an annual festival in Venice’s which starts about 2 weeks before Ash Wednesday and ends on Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Traditionally masks were worn during the Carnevale, this is to allow one's identity and social status to be hidden. Of course people probably wear them now more out of fun than anything else but it's still spectacular to see. Carnevale is actually celebrated throughout Italy but the one in Venice is the most spectacular and people really dress up compared to other cities in Italy. There are also Balls held in Venice but are by invitation only. With that bit of info out of the way, let's talk about the trip proper.

Amazing costumes and masks

Some others who shared our interest in the masquerade...

We checked into our hotel on a rainy and gloomy evening and quickly made our way to Piazza San Marco as that is where most of the people dressed up in masks and costumes gather. However as it was rather wet weather, most of them were sitting in cafes or walking around the buildings surrounding the piazza rather than being in the piazza itself. It was quite amusing to see everyone gathering in front of the café windows to snap photographs of the costumed people inside drinking their coffee. It was like a Hollywood moment with the paparazzi snapping away. CS was of course snapping away while I amused myself by admiring the costumes and pointing out new targets for him to take photographs.

In Piazza San Marco

As there wasn’t much costumed people walking around, we signed up for a walking tour in the end since there wasn’t much to look at or do. The tour was conducted in both English and Italian and we were the only two who chose English. Our guide was a very animated lady whose name we didn’t manage to catch. Though the tour was only one hour, it felt much longer cos of the various stories she was sharing throughout the tour. She also recommended a really good osteria where we had our dinner. It was this tiny place which was jam packed with people standing inside and outside drinking and eating various dishes, kind of like tapas actually. We had some really good chicken wings and actually went back over the next few days for them, but alas they only had them on the first day.

So very fun to see them getting into character and posing

I thought the faces were somewhat Japanese looking

We spent the next few days just walking around Venice and enjoying the sights. It was really interesting to look at all the costumed people and we really admire their efforts in dressing up with all the full works i.e masks, costumes, accessories etc. Of course there were people who just bought a mask to wear to get in the mood but those with the full getup were the ones we really admire and of course these were the ones who kept being stopped for photographs. They were generally quite obliging and happy to pose. There was one guy who was posing near the water and he almost got blown into the water by the strong winds! CS thought the whole thing was a bit like cosplay and I said someone should just dress up as Sailor Moon next year, haha…

Still in character and nearly blown away with the wind

Other than admiring the people who dressed up, we also took a traghetto which is like the poor man’s version of a gondola. You essentially get into the same thing (just not as nicely decorated, smaller and more crowded) and use it to get across the Grand Canal. It was quite an experience and though it was a really short ride (think 3mins or something) it was rather exciting. Hehe…

Gondola!, Gondola!

We bought strawberries at the market

While we really enjoyed Venice, I had the misfortune of being pick pocketed. I only realized it when we stopped for drinks and I noticed that my backpack was totally opened and my wallet was missing. Sigh… just my luck I guess :(

At the Rialto Bridge

My favorite Aglio Olio (with bacon on special request plus weird look from waiter)

In any case, Venice is really quite beautiful and we really enjoyed ourselves there. I think just doing a day trip does it no justice, you really need to stay a few nights to get the feel of the place and also to just wander the maze of streets and canals. Though hotels are a little bit pricier, things in general were not that much more expensive compared to the mainland, food was rather reasonable and there are supermarkets for you to buy water and snacks at around the same prices as Italy. Contrary to what many friends tell us about the smelly canals, smell almost non-existent, maybe cos we were there in winter. In summer it could be completely different. All in all, we totally enjoyed Venice and being there during the Carnevale was a total highlight.