10 curiosities + 1 you still don't know about the Venice Carnival

Interested in buying a house in Venice? Then you absolutely must know the secrets that holds the most famous party in the city: Carnival!

Even in our real estate agency Engel & Völkers Venice during the days of Carnival you may encounter some eighteenth-century costumes. In fact, in this period everyone, absolutely everyone, disguises themselves, as the first of the ten curiosities about Carnival reminds us that you absolutely must know if you are interested in buy a house in Venice Italy.

#1. NO TO COVERED FACES
In Venice, masking was such a widespread custom that already in 1339 it was necessary to enact a special law that prohibited covering one's face at night. In the seventeenth century the same ban was extended to those who intended to enter the church.

#2. NOBODY STOP THE CARNIVAL!
Carnival could never be interrupted, even in the presence of a mournful event. In 1789, for example, the death of the Doge was announced a week later just to not stop the celebrations.

#3. THE BEGINNING AND THE END
Carnival has an end date and a new start. It was abolished by the Austrians and the French with the fall of the Serenissima Republic in 1797 and was brought back into vogue in 1979 thanks to some city associations. A few editions were enough to cancel three centuries of stop and bring the hands back to that 1798 Carnival that was never celebrated.

#4. THE OLDEST MASK
If you happen to wander through the streets looking for venice houses for sale during the carnival period, be very careful: you might happen to meet the Plague Doctor, one of the most disturbing and ancient masks. It is immediately recognizable for its elongated beak shape. Its origins are historical: it was invented in the seventeenth century just to visit the hospital.

#5. THE MOST INTRIGENT MASK
Or you could also fall in love with the Moretta, another among the most intriguing mask. In black velvet and adorned with lace, it was originally invented for the ladies who wore it when they went to visit the nuns. The end result, however, was far from chaste.

Are you ready to wear the cloak and the bauta to reach one of the oldest and most reliable real estate agencies venice? Wait until you hear the other stories and legends as we prepare.

#6. A LONG MONTH PARTY
If we could go back a few centuries, what Carnival would we live! In the eighteenth century the party could last up to six months, starting in October and ending in coincidence with Lent. For Casanova's happiness.

#7. FILM AND CARNIVAL
The last appearance of Nosferatu took place in Venice, in 1786, during the Carnival. Are you already shaking? Do not be afraid, it is not a chronicle, but the plot of the 1988 film Nosferatu in Venice.

#8. PARTY UNTIL DAWN
The Venetian Carnival nights could last at least until dawn. During this period, in fact, the theaters were in full swing, as well as the mess and the small ones, that is, small houses where gambling was allowed.

#9. HISTORICAL BATTLES
On the bridge of the rio di san Barnaba and on that of Santa Fosca, look carefully at the ground and you will see a foot shape. This indicated the starting point of the carnival battle between Castellani, workers of the Arsenale, and Nicolotti, fishermen: a colossal fist fight that often ended with unpleasant flights in the water.

#10. NOBLE FROM THE SOCKS
The organization of the masquerades was entrusted to the young nobles of the Serenissima, who were divided into groups easily distinguishable by the color of the socks. For this reason they were also called "stocking companies".

#11. SAID "CARNEVALESCHI"
"Let's cut the bull's head." This famous saying is connected to the Venetian Carnival when, during Fat Thursday, it was used to execute a bull in front of the Doge's Palace as a reminder of the victory over Ulrico in 1162. Still today, to remember the event, allegorical floats in the shape of a bull parade .

So happy Carnival and, if we met in Venice, we will not fail to greet you as tradition says: "Good morning Siora Mask!".