The Viareggio Carnival Foundation has organised for the 14, 15 and 16 August 3 evenings to relive the extraordinary euphoria of the Versilian carnival, in the company of the summer tourists.
The protagonists are eight of the large papier-mâché floats that took part in the Corsi Mascherati 2015, together with thousands of masks; eight constructions competing for a special prize that a panel of journalists will award to the most festive float.
The parades will take place from 9pm to midnight, but unlike in previous years, they will follow a totally new circuit which passes by Viareggio’s most beautiful and famous places and buildings. After leaving the centre, the floats follow viale Einaudi and viale Belluomini to the piazzas Puccini and Maria Luisa. The round circuit passes in front of the Principe di Piemonte Congress Centre, then continues towards the Grand Hotel and circles round it to then turn in the alleyway in the centre of piazza Puccini, through via Marco Polo and straight to the parapet on the seafront. They then return to the Congress Centre to repeat the loop.
Details:
Renzo Pellegrini, I 120 anni del Carnevale di Viareggio
Casa editrice Pezzini Viareggio 1994
by car: A11 motorway, exit Viareggio. Parking at thre “Pineta di ponente”.
public transport: trains and buses from Lucca.
FONDAZIONE CARNEVALE DI VIAREGGIO
0584/580711 o scrivi a segreteria@ilcarnevale.com
Fondazione del Carnevale di Viareggio
The locals of the Caffè del Casino first discussed proposals for a carnival procession featuring floats, flowers and fancy dress in 1873. The idea captured the inhabitants immediately, and in the years immediately following, they combined gentlemen’s coaches with carts. A decade passed by after the float procession in Via Regia before seeing the first allegoric float parade. In 1883, the employees of the Regia Marina proposed “I Quattro mori”, a life- size reproduction of the Livornese monument for Ferdinando II. Today, floats are based on the use of layers of papermache, which is a preparation of water, glue, plastercast and paper. You then procede with its pictorial decoration and finish off with a coating of glossy varnish to protect the work.
Since 1953, processions with a set theme have sometimes been experienced, but normally the floats deal with disparate topics, although since the 1970’s, political satire has been the most popular one. The Carnival parade is accompanied by the official band, the “Maschereide” ( they substituted the precedent band , the “Libecciata” in 1989), and its characteristic mask “Burlamacco”, thought up by Uberto Sonetti in 1931.