2024-01-28 11:51:29
The Italian lagoon city celebrates the sailor and explorer who died 700 years ago.
The traditional carnival has begun in Venice under the banner of the legendary traveler Marco Polo (1254-1324). This year’s festivities in the Italian lagoon city are under the motto “Towards the East: The Incredible Journey of Marco Polo”, which will attract tens of thousands of tourists to the lagoon city until Shrove Tuesday on February 13th. The sailor and explorer Marco Polo, who died 700 years ago, is honored.
The focus is on the most important stages of Marco Polo’s life, as well as his arrival at the court of the Great Khan in China. The 2024 edition of the Venice Carnival will once once more be directed by Massimo Checchetto, artistic director and set designer of the Venetian opera house La Fenice. He will transform the lagoon city into a fantasy land where the civilizations and cultures that Marco Polo encountered will come to life.
Two weeks of state of emergency
“The carnival offers the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the story of the young Venetian Marco Polo, which unfolds between reality and fantasy and represents a fascinating story that still captivates us today,” said Mayor Luigi Brugnaro. The carnival celebrations include open-air performances and evening masked balls. On Sunday there was a procession of traditional boats on the Grand Canal to the Rialto Bridge. The Voga alla Veneta rowing association parade was led by the legendary papier-mâché figure “Pantegana” (Rat). It is the start of the carnival.
The organizers are expecting hundreds of thousands of visitors once more during the two weeks of the state of emergency. Many people flock to the city because of the magnificent masks and colorful costumes that Carnival is known for.
The Venice Carnival is said to have first taken place in 1162. After it had not been celebrated for decades, the tradition was revived in 1980. Starting from the Italian royal courts, ever more magnificent forms of carnival in Italy developed since the late Middle Ages. Generally, the feast of Epiphany (January 6) lasted until the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday.
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