Some normality has returned to Venice, after two years without the annual carnival festivities which had been cancelled due to covid. A different mask is being worn this February as the traditional precursor to lent kicked off last weekend. Whilst substantially quieter than pre-covid carnivals – there was some optimism amongst the locals as gowns were paraded and traditional masks adorned for the annual masked balls.
The carnival has been a part of Venetian tradition for nearly a millennia and is renowned for its masks – some of which are purported to have evolved out of a need for protection from medieval plagues which hit the city. There is some irony that these masks now replace the flimsy materials which adorned faces for the 21st century’s own plague.
