Carnival has always been the craziest party of the year and in Tuscany there are ample opportunities to let yourself be carried away by the mood of pranks, silliness and merriment of this special moment.

Tuscany boasts an exceptional tradition of parades and genuinely spectacular celebrations. What follows is a brief list of the main Carnival celebrations in this region.

The best known Carnival is without a doubt the one in Viareggio (Lucca) which, from 1873, has ignited the Versilia area with an explosion of fun, music and colours. The magnificent allegorical floats parade along the city avenues and every weekend people dance in the evening in different quarters of the city. This year the Viareggio Carnival will take place on 31 January, 7, 14, 16 and 21 February.

The Pietrasanta (Lucca) Carnival is a more intimate affair: the masked and allegorical parade takes place in the picturesque streets of the old town.

The oldest Carnival in the Pisa province (dating back to about a century ago) takes place in Santa Croce sull’Arno. There will be four parades, organised by four historical groups: “Gli spensierati” (The Happy-go-lucky), “Il Nuovo Astro” (The New Pulsar) , “La Nuova Luna” (The New Moon), “La Lupa” (The She-wolf).

The allegorical parade in Vecchiano is dedicated primarily to children, while in Piombino the Carnival King is the traditional puppet, Cicciolo, who is portrayed as a drunk which is burnt in the main square on the evening of Shrove Tuesday.

Don’t miss the Maremma Carnival which takes place in Orbetello until 16 February 2010 with the Carnevaletto da Tre Soldi (Little Three Coin Carnival).

If you’re thinking of spending a few days in Tuscany, we recommend you take advantage of at least one of these events to spend a merry Carnival!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 at 11:15 am and is filed under italian culture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.