The Venice Carnival is undoubtedly the most popular in the world, yet in Verona this celebration is very old and involves the majority of the inhabitants, so is worth a visit during your stay.

These are our reasons to come Verona during the carnival, we are sure that you will be surprised by the history of this popular event, deeply tied to the districts and to the inhabitants of the town who consider it the most important event of the year.

1. The origins and the real name of the carnival: the sources are conflicting, the most influential reports that Tommaso Da Vico, a doctor, in 1531 decided to donate each year bread, wine, butter, flour and cheese to the poorest people to avert a revolt of the population, exhausted by hunger. Since then has been established the Bacanal del Gnoco, a festival which begins at the San Zeno district.

2. The typical masks of the Veronese carnival represent the districts of the town, such as Papà del Gnoco (which we see in the following picture), the oldest in Italy that led the parade on carnival Friday (Venerdì Gnocolàr), which falls on 13th February. According to tradition, on this day in Verona people are used to eat a dish of homemade gnocchi.

3. On the same day, you can join the parade of allegorical floats; the most beautiful float is awarded with the Bogon d'Oro (Golden Snail).

4. Mardi Gras will be on 17th February and in Verona the meeting is at 2.30 pm in Porto S. Pancrazio, district where the masked parade will start and cross the streets of the town.

5. The closure of the Carnival season is enshrined by the Festa della Renga in Parona, a hamlet near Verona where the end of the Carnival is celebrated with a traditional dish, polenta with herring (called Renga).

We hope to have aroused curiosity about the Veronese Carnival; we are waiting for you at the masked parades!