Follow me:
Carnevale di Venezia ‘ 24
Carnevale di Venezia 2024
Ad Oriente. Il mirabolante viaggio di Marco Polo
“I did not tell even half of what I saw, because I knew no one would believe it.” – Marco Polo.
On the occasion of the 700th anniversary of his death on January 8, 1324, Marco Polo returned to Venice. With the evocative title “Ad Oriente. Il mirabolante viaggio di Marco Polo”, or “To the East. The astonishing journey of Marco Polo”, the Venice Carnival 2024 celebrated one of its greatest travelers.
The multiple themes of the Venice Carnival 2024 were based on Marco Polo’s everyday life, the ideas of travel, discovery and encounters with worlds previously only imagined, and also travel understood as a transformative journey in search of oneself. Spectacles included a floating pantheon, water parades, floats, and the magic of fire meeting water at the Arsenale. Carnival 2024 closed at St. Mark’s Square with a farewell from the “Maria“ winner of Carnival 2024, Silvia Zecchin, the parade of floats at Zelarino, and the last performance of the Terra Incognita water show in the waters of the Venice Arsenal.
It was a rainy Carnival, which led me to explore indoor places like the Hotel Daneli, the Ca’ Sagredo Hotel, and of course at the end of the day the Florian, the icon of Venice. The grey sky and the rain enhanced the beauty of the masks and gave the Carnival a special atmosphere.
It was my eighth Venice Carnival and I felt how it had changed, how it had evolved in form and content from the first Carnivals I witnessed in the 90s.
Paolo Brando, a legendary figure of the Venetian Carnival, having participated in more than 40 Carnivals, describes this famous event in the legendary city of canals: “Once again this year, the most beautiful Carnival in the world has delighted us with its many extravagant creatures, luxurious outfits rich in detail and colour, handcrafted with passion, the embroidery and construction of the clothes portrayed in photos. Behind the mask, everyone hides their true identity but reveals their passion, their taste for shapes and style. Mysterious couples with elaborate, high hairstyles or extravagant hats, richly adorned with the colours of their fabrics, contrast with fantasy characters with detailed make-up on their faces, make-up often coordinated with the colours of the clothes, with feathers, pearls and rhinestones everywhere. Elsewhere, however, historical characters play their part with great skill on the stage of St. Mark’s Square or the city’s calle, whether they are noble casanova or debonair dames… A Carnival that has evolved, perhaps from a simpler, choral street carnival as in the 1980s where music and dancing invaded the entire city, while now the costumes have become much more refined and the parties have moved inside private palaces… a sign of changing times.”
Looking at the photos in this gallery, I understand Paolo’s words, to which I pay humble homage, as it appears to have been his last Carnival. I realize that over the years the Venice Carnival has gone from being more graphic and simple to more ornate and sophisticated. I personally believe that a more diverse carnival has also emerged, where participants do not only think about aesthetics, but many also try to convey a message with content that resonates in the air even after the Carnival is over.
Venezia, Febbruary 2025 © Pablo Munini
Videos on Pablo Munini Youtube channel :
Il mirabolante viaggio di Marco Polo