Carnival in Tuscany is an ancient tradition of hosting elaborate and fantastical celebrations all over Italy. Essentially an incredibly lavish party that brings people together to dance joyfully, free from the shackles of the ordinary everyday. Carnival is anything but ordinary. With ornate costumes decorated with a rainbow of colours that saturate the streets. People gleefully wave and cheer from exquisite floats that parade through the neighbourhoods. This is a spectacle not to be missed.
While the Venetian Carnival is perhaps the one you’ve heard of the most. Tuscany is home to some notable celebrations including the most famous of all, Carnival of Viareggio. Dating back to 1873, today it’s also popular with little ones across Italy who dress in fun costumes to watch the floats. An event for the whole family! Lets take a look at where to join the party. Although Italy is well known for its sunshine weather it does rain sometimes, if bad weather is on the cards be sure to check ahead as some events will be cancelled.
In this article
History of Carnevale (Carnival)
The history of carnival is still unknown and there are many assumptions about how it began. The origins also differ from place to place, depending on where you are. Some say it’s an ancient festival celebrating the change from winter to spring as well as the beginning of a new year and the return of nature.
Carnevale is the last celebration before Lent which begins on Ash Wednesday. The last hurrah before Christians will complete the forty days of lent and abstain from luxuries ahead of Easter celebrations.
Most towns that host parties will do so over multiple weekends throughout January and February. Masks and elaborate costumes are a key component in Carnevale and the idea of the masked person began with the earliest ceremonies to ensure that everyone regardless of their class could participate. Parties were often unrestricted, colourful and vivacious, the polar opposite of the times. That’s why the masks were so vital to ensure that everyone had the ability to celebrate untethered from the chains of societal expectations on the floats called Trionfi.
Carnival in Tuscany: Florence
With the emergence of the Renaissance period Florence turned Carnevale into a distinct event which included parades and masquerade balls. Nobility during this time adored this interpretation of the ancient event. Most notably from this time is the Carnevale song written in 1490 by Lorenzo de’ Medici called The Triumph of Bacchus and Ariadne.
Carnival in Florence is still a large, uplifting and colourful event that attracts thousands of people from all over the world. On the 9th February this year, the Carnival Parade will take place in the centre of Florence. Playing host to live music and entertainers, people of all ages come together in celebration. The parade starts in Piazza Santa Maria Novella at 3pm and ends in Piazza della Signoria at 7pm. Time to get crafty and make your costume ahead of the big hurrah!
Carnival of Viareggio
Viareggio is charming town which has a famous promenade running along the seafront. Every year for Carnevale this is transformed into the centre stage for their celebrations. This is one of the biggest events in the Tuscan calendar. In 1931 the futurist painter and designer Bonetti created the mascot for the famous carnival named it Burlamacco. To this day it is still the symbol of the town. This huge Carnival takes place every year in February depending on when Easter lands and brings together around 1000,000 people!
There are fantastic celebrations throughout ranging from theatre, to sporting events and of course the parade. Like with all of the Carnevale in Italy this is a family orientated event with something for everyone to enjoy. Tickets are required to join in the fun so take a look at the Viareggio Carnival website.
Carnival of Follonica
Another seaside town in Maremma that hosts its own carnival activities is Follonica. Usually held on the first three weekends of February. The procession begins on Sunday afternoons and ends in celebration in Piazza a Mare.
There is a competition for the best float from the procession, which each neighbourhood or Borgo will present after months of work making extraordinary creations. There are now seven districts that participate in the event and it’s just as competitive as when it began in the early 1920s. The theme this year is Journey Between Dream and Reality and the party starts on the 2nd February 2025!
Carnival of Orbetello
The Threepenny carnival or Carnevaletto da 3 soldi as it was named in the 1950s has become a raving success. Each year the Orbetello Lagoon hosts the parade with their own competition for the best float called “Il Carrissimo”.
As with the other Carnevale, Orbetello will provide events for all ages throughout the day with live music and colourful activities. The grand finale of the celebrations peak with an incredibly colourful and luminescent night parade.
This year events will run from 16th February to 4th March at the Orbetello lagoon!
All over Italy whether there is a parade or not, Carnival will be celebrated by every age in many different ways. Young children will dress in bold costumes of their favorite characters and devour the sweet treats of Carnival. Every neighbourhood will take to their local streets and parks and excitedly throw streamers and rainbow coloured coriandoli (confetti) to mark the occasion throughout the month of February. This is a festival for one and all. No new year blues here, it’s all party, party, party!
Celebration Food of Carnevale: Cenci
Nothing in Italy would be complete without food now, would it! One of the most famous delicacies that people make for Carnevale is Cenci or Rags.
In Tuscany, this is what they are known as but across Italy this dolce has various names such as: chiacchiere, crostoli, frappe and bugie.
A simple recipe made from a sweet dough which is mixed with citrus fruits and liqueurs such as Vinsanto or Marsala. Thinly rolled then fried to produce a truly delicious, crunchy snack to eat da portare via (to go) as you follow the effervescent and enthusiastic party goers along the streets of whichever Italian town you choose to celebrate in.
So snacks, masks and outfits at the ready? Let’s party!
Try making your own Cenci with this recipe from Juls Kitchen
Ingredients
250 g plain flour
20 g butter, melted
20 g sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 orange, zest grated
1 lemon, zest grated
1 pinch salt
2 tablespoons vin santo, or vodka, grappa, brandy
1 l vegetable oil for deep frying
(more sugar to sprinkle the cenci, once fried)
Instructions
- Pour the flour onto a wooden pastry board or on a large working surface, make a well in the centre and add all the other ingredients.
- Knead all the ingredients with your hands, as if to make homemade pasta. Knead it at least 10 minutes, until the dough becomes very elastic and smooth, and it no longer sticks to your hands. Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes, wrapped in a kitchen towel.
- Roll out the dough with a rolling pin or with the pasta machine to make long and paper-thin sheets of pasta, about 1 or 2 mm thick, so that the cenci will be feather-light when fried. Use a tiny amount of flour to help to roll out the dough, but try to dust it off or shake it off from the cenci, because it will be the first thing to burn in the hot frying oil, giving an unpleasant burnt flour taste to our cenci.
- Cut the pasta sheets with a knife or a wheel in strips about a span long and 3 inches in width.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan and when it reaches 180°C deep fry the cenci. If you don’t have a cooking thermometer, use some dough scraps to check when the oil is ready: dip a scrap in the oil. It will be hot enough when many tiny bubbles immediately surround the piece of dough.
- Fry the cenci in batches for about 30 seconds per side, checking them often and turning them with frying tongs.
- Carefully remove the Cenci from the oil, drain them for a few minutes on a dish lined with kitchen paper, and then dust them with sugar.
They are delicious warm, but you will recognize all the flavours and aromas just when cold!