A Carnival Weekend in Venice
Step into the world of Venice’s Carnival, a time and place like no other
I can’t sit still long enough to stay in Paris for six whole weeks. Don’t get me wrong, I love Paris, but the world is big and there’s too much to see and do.
I knew, from the first moment that I started planning this trip, that I had to go to Venice for Carnival. The Accademia was on my list of museums to visit, and the last time I was in Venice, to be fully transparent, I didn’t love the city. But I wanted to give it another chance! So, three quick days after arriving in Paris, I was back at Charles de Gaulle and on my way.
My trip to Venice started as any trip to Venice should- with a long walk through the city to my hotel, and a welcome bellini. It was actually less crowded for Carnival than during the summer, and, while the Italians in their winter coats seemed to find the city cold. I found 40° and sun in Venice to be, at times, hot. I frequently found myself shedding my jacket (or cloak, when I was getting into the Carnival spirit) in favor of just a t-shirt. Don’t ask me why, I’m not a meteorologist, but it’s something about the Italian sun and heat from the canals.
Something else to note about Venice- you need to be prepared to walk. Now this is true of every European city, but more so in Venice. There are no cars, no metros, no Ubers, no bikes, just endless bridges and alleyways and piazzas. It doesn’t matter how tired your feet are or how tipsy you are at the end of your food tour. You’re a mile from your hotel and there’s only one way to get there.
My food tour was a great time. I highly recommend them for everyone, but especially for solo travelers that are worried about being lonely. I love being immersed in local culture, don’t get me wrong, but a few hours of conversation in my native language when I’m so far from home is no small thing.
We were a group of eight, plus our lovely guide Beatrice. There was me and a group of seven friends, traveling through Italy to celebrate three of them turning 50. It’s amazing how close you can become in three short hours. Certainly the five glasses of wine and spritz helped, but when you’re willing to share about yourself and ask a lot of questions, people will really open up to you. We talked about job loss, breakups, other travels, wine preferences, and how hot all the people dressed up as pirates looked. Lifelong friends? Maybe not. But by the end of the evening we were sharing inside jokes like I’d known them forever and exchanging emails (Pro Tip: if you meet me in the wild, I will send you free art guides). Also the food itself, small bites from Venice’s best bacari, was incredible.
I need to put you on to cicchetti. These traditional Venetian finger foods are available everywhere. The premise is simple. It’s a small piece of bread topped with basically anything you can think of- meat, cheese, vegetables, sauces- or sometimes fried balls of the same ingredients. I tried some with shrimp, ham, octopus, veal, and cheese, and all were delightful. And cheap. Only a few euro each and 3-4 make up a solid meal.
My second day started with a mask painting workshop. I ventured to a little shop near Piazza San Marco where a local artisan taught us how to paint traditional Venetian masks. We painted inside his shop, where he had hundreds of masks on display, all handmade by him and his family. While we painted, we learned about the history of Carnival.
Carnival originated as a time for indulgences (in anonymity, thanks to the masks, before Lent. The name Carnival comes from the latin word carne, meaning meat, as Catholics are traditionally from eating meat during Lent.
Next was the Accademia, a wonderful exploration into Venetian art. It was quiet, even on a Sunday afternoon, and I enjoyed the collection more than I thought I would. In terms of art history’s most famous paintings, outside of Giorgione’s Tempest and Titian’s Pieta, there wasn’t anything particularly famous. However, I found that the scale of the paintings, the level of detail in the Venetian textures, and the rich colors they adore in this city were all incredibly impressive. It was all floor to ceiling altarpieces and paintings that spanned the length of walls, and a notable collection of Canova sculptures. It’s a worthwhile stop if you need a break from the heat and the crowds.
I spent the evening at a Vivaldi concert, listening to opera and the full Four Seasons symphony, played by a group of musicians in historical dress. Like much of Venice, it truly felt like stepping back in time. Paired with a good portion of the audience dressed for Carnival, and even the attendants prepared for the 17th century, it was a wonderful experience. The opera singer was very entertaining, even if I didn’t understand a word of it, and, it turns out, I’m quite a fan of Vivaldi.
My final morning in Venice was spent writing this blog post, on the steps of a monument in a small piazza under the Italian sun. I did take a break to admire some Carnival costumes and watch some impromptu street theater, which I also didn’t understand a word of but thoroughly enjoyed. A few glasses of Aperol and a couple more cicchetti later, I was ready to head back to Paris.
If it’s your first time in Venice, I highly recommend visiting the Doge’s Palace and spending more time than I did exploring Piazza San Marco. It’s also a lot of fun to take the boats around to the other nearby islands.
Venice is an entirely different world, completely unique from other European cities. There is a certain magic to the city that’s hard to explain. Wandering the canals is truly like wandering through time itself.