(map) Vetralla, Lazio
If you have ever wondered what Carnival was like in Rome 180 years ago, you can read Charles Dickens “Pictures in Italy” or you can experience the festivities in Ronciglione and Vetralla during the next two Sundays before Lent begins.
These country-style Carnivals should not be compared to the collective frenzy that invades Rio or the famous Carnivals of Venice and Viareggio, but the grotesque masks and costumes do break down social barriers giving everyone a mid-winter break and a chance to joke, dance and flirt.
The riderless horse race in Ronciglione, very similar to that Dickens described along Rome’s Via del Corso, injects an annual note of energy and daring in the otherwise sleepy hilltop town. Vetralla’s colorful carri (floats) pulled by tractors and multi-generational costumed groups spoof politicians and cartoon characters.
For the first time in history, the local Carabinieri confiscated the generous supplies of vino that usually are consumed during the parade …this could be the cause of the sad faced Simpsons in last Sunday’s parade.
-- Contributed by Mary Jane (see bio), author, historian cruise ship lecturer, and founder of Elegant Etruria, www.elegantetruria.com, a window on life in central Italy.
February 4th, 2010 at 3:42 pm
Italian towns really know how to celebrate a festival! (Simpsons?? – how funny is that!)
February 4th, 2010 at 4:37 pm
All these smaller Carnevale celebrations throughout Italy are such great fun, aren’t they. Thanks for sharing the Note and pictures!
February 4th, 2010 at 8:42 pm
Here in the States we have Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas as our big holidays; when I started living in Italy it was such a joy to find so many other types of celebrations, be them sagras or saints’ days or any reason for the community to gather together. Needless to say that during summer Italy and its gioia da vivere allows for the biggest Celebration of Life in the universe. Thank you…
February 5th, 2010 at 11:35 am
The sad faced Simpsons photo is a work of art! An anthropologist’s dream.
Super note Mary Jane. Here in Naples we know it’s that time of year as we dodge little bunches of giggling schoolboys who have cans of silly string at the ready…
February 9th, 2010 at 6:26 pm
thanks for all the nice replies… I just stood in the middle of the parade and snapped away. More photos of last Sunday can be seen on Elegant Etruria Friends page of FB.