Carnevale in Venice

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Venice is a magical place. A 1,600-year-old city built on top of wooden poles driven into a muddy lagoon. Who dreamt up this idea and how has it stood the test of time? How did the city fathers not succumb to the automobile? I don’t know those answers but I do know that I’ve always loved Venice since my first trip there in 2008. It’s the most romantic place I’ve ever been.

Magical costumes in a magical city

I am so lucky to have developed a friendship with a wonderful group of people from Vermont. One of these dear people has been a travel companion for 7 years, we’ve been to Cuba, India, Prague, Salzburg, Munich and England together over the years (read about our England trip: Living it up in London, Windsor and Royal England, The stone circles of Wiltshire, England, and The real Downton Abbey … and more), and the others are new found friends. Two of these fine folks also love Venice and have been visiting for over 20 years. These connections are how my spouse and I came to visit Venice for a few days in February during Carnevale.

Me and our friend "P"

Many heavily Catholic communities around the world have a carnival tradition. Among the best known are Mardi Gras in Louisiana, the raucous Carnivals in Rio de Janeiro and the Caribbean, and the Venetian Carnevale. What all of these have in common is the celebration of life and “letting loose” before the restrictions of Lent. In Venice, Carnevale starts two weeks before Ash Wednesday and mainly consists of people wearing historical/fantastical costumes, parades, special treats, and attending parties or masquerade balls. There are numerous events such as the annual gondola parade, daily best costume contests, the Flight of the Angel in St. Mark’s Square and lots of family-focused fun. The tradition of dressing in costume dates back to around the 1100’s and allowed the rich and poor, male and female, and royalty and commoners alike to mix and mingle, unfettered by traditional societal constraints.

On this trip, we really benefited from the experience of our new Vermont friends, “A” and “J”, the two who had been traveling to Venice and participating in Carnevale for about 20 years. They knew the absolute best place to stay, the most wonderful restaurants, where to rent costumes and many more details about the city and things to do during all the festivities. In addition to being so helpful, they were just wonderful human beings! I normally do all the planning and it was nice to relinquish most of that into such capable hands.

Our new friends, "A" and "J"

We’d booked our flights using American Airlines miles, flying on British Airways via London, and we arrived on a Thursday evening (February 16th) about 5:00 pm. Venice’s Marco Polo airport has both ground and water transportation options and I’d booked us a water taxi in advance using the Consorzio Motoscafi company. It was quite easy to book and pay online and we only had to show our confirmation on our phone. Given how extensive the islands are (there are 118 of them) and that there are virtually no cars on them, you have to rely on water transportation at some point. You can take a ground taxi to Piazzale Roma in Venice and then take a public or private water taxi from there. You can also take the Alilaguna “water bus” boat service or a private water taxi directly from the airport. The private water taxi is definitely the more expensive of the options (it was about €120 for the one-way trip) but certainly the quickest and easiest given it’s private. Alas, it was a very foggy evening when we arrived and the man at the water taxi stand informed us the boats could not operate across the lagoon. They had arranged a land taxi for us to Piazzale Roma and then a water taxi from there after all. I guess with the delays everything was backed up because we had to wait quite a long time at both places before we finally got to the hotel.

A foggy night when we arrived

Our hotel was the magnificent Ca’ Sagredo, located right on the Grand Canal. The hotel dates back to the 15th century when it was built as the home of the Morosini family. The Sagredos, a prominent Venetian family, purchased it in the 17th century and now it’s part museum/part luxury, historic hotel. It’s a traditional Venetian palace with a canal and land entrance (off the Campo Santa Sofia) and the ground floors rooms are rather small and plain, having mostly been used for household operations, storage and servant quarters. The most spectacular floor was the “piano nobile” on the second floor. A set of grand staircases led to an enormous hall filled with beautifully papered walls and original Renaissance paintings on the walls and ceilings. The period furniture complemented the overall sumptuous look and feel. At the far end of the room, floor to ceiling windows and a small balcony overlooked the dark and foggy Grand Canal. Off this main hall were other large, well-appointed rooms as this would have been the grander public spaces during the palace’s heyday. Some of the guest rooms were also on this floor though the majority were on the third and fourth floors. Our large room featured a small sitting area with two windows opening into the Grand Canal as well as period furniture and a large, well-equipped bathroom. There is a vaporetto (public water taxi) stop right at the hotel so the location is very convenient for getting around Venice.

The historic, sumptuous Ca" Sagredo Hotel

We were tired and hungry, as were the rest of the group who’d arrived before us and headed out to an earlier dinner. I quickly googled two local spots and, to our luck, on the way we ran into some of the group on their way back to the hotel. Our friend “P” joined us for a drink and catching up. Our first spot, Taverna Barababao, was already very crowded and we’ were not able to get a table for several hours. The second option, Trattoria Casa Mia, was just a block away and, though it was early when it’s usually just foreigners, we were the only non-Italians there. The food and setting were simple but very comforting. I appreciated that a man with his young kids, and older gentleman alone, and a couple on a date were seated around us – it reassured me that this was not a tourist trap. We enjoyed a bottle of Prosecco and a variety of cicchetti (Venetian appetizers usually eaten standing up in a bar) and the Casa Mia pizza, the specialty of the house, which consisted of mozzarella, eggplant, sweet peppers and spicy salami. Delicious! Satisfied and already getting into the Venetian spirit, we sauntered back to the Ca’ Sagredo and soon were fast asleep.

Dinner at Trattoria Casa Mia and the quiet streets around Strada Nova

The next day, Friday, began with breakfast in one of the rooms off the grand hall on the piano nobile. The buffet was very typically European fare, with a variety of meats and cheeses, yogurt, cereals, breads and pastries along with some eggs and juices. All was perfectly satisfying and the Italian coffee was deep and strong. After our breakfast, the group (about 9 of them) started getting ready in their first of several costumes, which they had made and brought with them from the US. Yes, they made a series of extremely elaborate costumes and ported them all the way from Vermont! It was an incredible undertaking to say the least. We did not have the opportunity to have costumes made as part of the group so we rented from A and J’s friend Alessio, who’s costume rental business was heavily featured in the hotel lobby and conveniently located in one of the rooms on the ground floor. Alessio, a really nice guy, was doing a brisk business when we arrived for our appointment. He immediately selected a Doge of Venice costume for my spouse and a Merchant of Venice one for me. The rental included all that we’d need down to shoes, period stockings and masks.

The Doge and Merchant of Venice, and Alessio the wonderful costume maker

We met the group in their elaborate peacock adorned dresses, capes, feathered masks and period wigs. It was quite a sight to behold this large group in such magnificent costumes as we walked from the hotel to Saint Mark’s Square. I can’t fully describe how it felt to be stopped by so many people on the street for photographs with us. We all loved seeing the look of surprise and joy on so many peoples’ faces and happily stopped for conversation and pictures. The normal 20-minute walk probably took at least an hour that afternoon. Through we weren’t part of the group costume, my spouse was a big draw too as the Doge. Many people called out to him and knelt to kiss his ring, much to his delight. Saint Mark’s Square was mobbed (it would be even worse later in the weekend) but we too enjoyed seeing so many people out in costume strolling around and enjoying the day. This walk-about was loads and loads of fun!

Strolling about in costumes, the peacocks were our group

We ultimately made our way to Baglioni Hotel Luna hotel and essentially took over the hotel bar with our hoop skirts, capes and finery. A much-needed cocktail was quickly procured and consumed by all. About this time everyone was ready to be out of costume and have a rest before dinner. Dinner was at the lovely Ristorante Da Ivo restaurant located in the San Marco neighborhood. This small restaurant is reservation only and was already pretty busy when we arrived for our early dinner. This was the first of so many great restaurants chosen by A and J and we feasted on fresh artichokes, shrimp and other seafood from the lagoons, and delicious home-made pasta paired with lots of Italian wine. Afterwards, were roamed around the misty and much-less-crowded Saint Mark’s Square and then meandered our way home. Venice on a foggy-night transports you to another time.

Lovely Venice and a lovely martini

The next morning after breakfast, the gang again got into costumes (a different set for them and the same for us). This time the group costumes were more traditional 18th century attire – breeches and stockings with waist coats for the men and frilly, panier’ed skirts, corsets and enormous wigs for the ladies. Rather than our walk about to St. Mark’s Square, we opted to take a private water taxi to the Aresenale area of the city. This area was where ships were built up to the late 1700’s and launched into the lagoon. Venice was a dominant power with a vast navy up until about the mid-1450’s when its influence began to decline. We had chosen the Aresenale for its variety of scenery and the fact that it would likely be a lot less crowded than other parts of the city on this last Saturday of Carnevale. Many Italians comes into the city for this weekend, in addition to the tourists, and it did prove to be enormously crowded that weekend – almost unbearably so in some of the smaller and more popular streets (really just alleys). The group had hired a professional photographer who joined us and enjoyed capturing the beauty of the outfits and the engagement with the crowds. It was terrific fun again.

A water taxi to Aresenale and ham and burrata

My spouse and I are our friend P had planned to see a matinee opera that afternoon so we cut away from the group a little early to get back to the hotel and change. Not having had lunch yet, we had just enough time to pop into the little café Yuxi Bar right across the street from our hotel. It was more like a snack shop but burrata and prosciutto in Italy tastes amazing, even in a tourist trap. We again grabbed a water taxi (arranged by the hotel) to the Teatro La Fenice (the Phoenix Theater). Like the fabled phoenix, La Fenice has quite literally risen from the ashes. The theater was destroyed by fire not once but three time during its 230-year history, the most recent fire the result of arson occurred in 1996. It’s not much to look at from the outside and the interior public spots are less than dazzling (unlike for example the Opera Garnier in Paris). However, the main theater is a splendid jewel box. The five rows of private boxes seem to provide the majority of the seating and fully rise the from orchestra to the sky blue, decorated ceiling. Each small, enclosed box seats about four, with coat hooks and a mirror to check yourself before being seen. It really evoked a long-ago time where we would have been checking out the other patrons peering through our opera glasses and behind our fans. Even without the accessories, we were checking them out! The exteriors of the boxes were ornately decorated with gilding and large sconces at every box. The opera was Il Matrimonio Segreto (The Secret Marriage) by Domenico Cimarosa. None of us was familiar with it but the playful comedy and romance was very well staged using minimal props but great usage of video along a variety of screens. The performance was quite a lot of fun and a nice divergence from the walkabouts we’d been doing.

Il Matrimonio Segreto at La Fenice Opera House

After the opera the main group was headed to an early dinner and my souse and I to a masquerade ball. We had just enough time to get some makeup assistance before the group left. I had decided to change up my costume and be a little more adventurous for the ball. I was going dressed as a 18th century man in costume as an 18th century woman. My costume, also rented from Alessio, consisted of men’s shoes, stockings, and a man’s wig but a heavy dress, panier (a basket worn around the waist which creates very wide hips), and corset. I had an elaborate mask that was unisex. My spouse continued in the Doge theme. Getting ready in this outfit was a challenge and I have a great appreciation for women who have had to (or still do) wear restrictive clothing like this.

Costumes, part two

There are numerous masquerade balls held throughout Venice during Carnevale and most are open to the public, with tickets spanning a variety of price-points but more on the expensive side. The one we had chosen was themed “Original Sinners” and was being held at the historic Ca’ Vendramin Calergi, a short 10-minute walk from our hotel. Venetian Carnevale masquerade balls are like wedding receptions – there’s a cocktail hour, a seated multi-course dinner, and DJ and dancing afterwards with entertainment throughout (like acrobats, singers, dancers, magicians, etc.). We arrived right at the end of happy hour and were quickly seated with a table of 8 others, a mix of British and American. Costumes are required and everyone looked fabulous and they all turned out to be fun tablemates. The food was actually quite good: steamed lobster with mandarin reduction and radicchio; cream of pumpkin and cod fillet; risotto with langoustines; drum fish with bread, potatoes and spinach; and dark chocolate and raspberry cake. There was also free flowing prosecco and wines. After dinner we enjoyed drinks and dancing with our new friends until 3:00 am!

Original Sinners masquerade ball

The following day was Sunday and, given our late night, was to be a slow and easy day for us. The group did another round of costumes and strolling around but we’d skipped that. We returned out costumes to Alessio and had a late breakfast before heading out to walk around the city. The streets were packed and the police had converted some into one way streets, requiring us to reroute to parts that of the city that we had not seen before. We had the chance to see the smallest street in Venice, barely a person wide. We did some shopping in the San Marco area, really enjoying the Pot-Pourri Boutique menswear store. We walked and window-shopped the afternoon and had a simple lunch at the small Osteria da Alex. Our last bit of shopping was at the vast fabric merchant G. Benevento on the Strada Nova right across from our hotel. The Strada Nova is one of the largest walking streets in Venice and lined with a variety of restaurants and shops. I remembered this shop from 2008 when I bought several shirts there which I still wear, very beautiful and high quality, Established in 1886 and primarily a fabric store, they do lots of custom work and have a small men's and women's retail store. It was a treat to be back here.

The smallest street in Venice and other beautiful scenes

We later met up with the group for dinner at Ristorante do Forni, a gem of a place. We were joined by many of the Italian friends of A and J which made for a really special evening. The several hundred-year-old restaurant has a number of Venetian-themed rooms and we were seated in our own space which resembled a dining car from the Orient Express. The food was incredible and the service crisp and precise. I enjoyed an octopus starter and veal Milanese, along with a well-made martini and more Italian wine.

More Venetian sites on the way to San Giorgio Maggiore

Our last full day was Monday and the whole group had dedicated it to sight-seeing, especially as some of the Vermont group had never been to Venice before. Our friend P joined us for breakfast and the three of us headed off on our own. We departed from the hotel in a private water taxi to the island of San Giorgio Maggiore to see the large church of the same name located there. The church is an imposing site across the lagoon and has been well-painted over its 400-year plus history. The island is also home to a small arts venue, and we took in a quick glass exhibit based on works from the Venini glassworks company. We had planned for lunch at the highly regarded, Michelin-starred restaurant Venissa but somehow had a mix up with the restaurant on the reservation and the restaurant was actually closed during this time of year. We were disappointed but found solace at Ristorante da Raffaele, a place the group had visited while we were at the ball but which P was very happy to enjoy again. It was a beautiful, sunny day but we ate inside to take in all the antique weapons and copper pots adorning the walls and ceilings. The food and service were amazing, among the best of the trip. We enjoyed a great local wine and I loved my appetizer of assorted seafood from the lagoon and my main dish of spaghetti with squid ink (the famous seppia nero). The meal finished with a plate of Carnevale pastries – crostoli and fritole. Delicious food and a memorable meal with our friend.

Basilica of San Gorgio Maggiore

San Marco area and lunch at Raffaele

After lunch we walked around a bit, crossing over the Rialto Bridge and just wandered around on the “other side”. We popped into the old market for some last-minute souvenirs and then headed back towards the hotel. The hotel bar has a few tables on the canal and since we had some time before dinner with the group, we refreshed ourselves with Aperol spritzes and watched the passersby. Our last adventure of the day was to sneak up to the rooftop bar (which was not open for the season yet). We found the secret door and really loved the sweeping views of the city and Grand Canal. Our last group dinner was at Vecia Cavana, a restaurant in an old, restored boathouse. We were greeted like royalty due to the long relationship A and J have with the owners and seated at a long table in the large, stone-arched dining room. Our waiter must have had a side job as a comedian, he was a real character. Dinner for me was a spider crab salad (served in a large shell), seafood risotto, fresh almond cake (served from a dessert trolley with so many other tantalizing choices) and more of that great local wine we had enjoyed at lunch. Everyone was relaxed and caught up over the various sight-seeing excursions of the day. It always amazes me how a group of good friends who spend so much time together never runs out of things to talk about!

The market and the rooftop deck

The following morning it was time for us to leave, part of the group had already left and the majority was staying for one more day of costuming and the final ball of Carnevale (it was Fat Tuesday when we departed, Carnevale’s las day). We’d bid everyone farewell the night before and had arranged a private taxi (using the same Consorzio Motoscafi as when we’d arrived). An easy British Airways flight to London and a short layover later, and we were on our way back to Washington, DC. We were happy to be headed home (and seated in the new British Airways Club Suite Business Class with sliding doors at each seat – a dramatic improvement over their old set-up). We loved this trip, a once-in-a-lifetime experience to enjoy Carnevale in Venice with experienced travelers.

Last remnants of Carnevale - confetti everywhere