The most enjoyable festival of the year is coming up: February isthe month of Carnival. The city of Florence organizes many small events, but the best Carnival festivals are in the rest of Tuscany, especially in Viareggio, a seaside town situated on the Tuscany coast, an hour’s drive from Florence. Viareggio is a tourist seaside resort with beaches and hotels, famous for its Carnival.
Carnival of Viareggio in 2012 celebrating 139 years of life and activity under the sign of a vivid tradition such as the long – established European tradition of Carnival festivals, is no doubt one of the best known events in Italy. Since it was born it has been acquiring a strong touristic value and attracts every year more than one million spectators gathering to attend the magic of the great parade of big floats in papier – maché.
In 2012, the usual five carnival masked parades are planned for February 5th, 12th 19th 21th 26th and March, 3th, on the extraordinary Liberty style staging along the seaside avenues of Viareggio. Every evening, there are carnival celebrations in all of the city’s different quarters.
Real travelling theatres – the allegorical papier-maché floats are the product of the unequalled creativity, of the extraordinary sculpture and painting skill of Viareggio ‘magicians’, and are the highest example of this popular art whose language has spread all over the world. The parades take place in a ring-like circuit 2 km. long, on the seaside avenues of Viareggio, best known as La Passeggiata.
Here the floats move among the spectators, who can attend the show with no barriers, becoming in turn the protagonists of the parade. During the Carnival period, Viareggio and his Passeggiata change into a true open air Museum where people coming from all over the world meet to enjoy together.
The parades also include folkloristic bands and performers with the most original masks, offering excitement, culture and tradition in a wide programme of entertainment and fun for children and adults. Daily ticket € 15,00.
In the province of Florence the most famous Carnival parade is in San Mauro (Signa), especially recommended for children.
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La Rochefoucauld: “We are never so ridiculous through what we are as through what we pretend to be.”