Follow the rabbit and it might lead you to unexpected places.
A comment on the Tuscan Recipe i shared a few days ago led to the discovery of the Viareggio Carnival.
Jennifer Mallegni in Viareggio's famed carnival (Turismi in Toscana) notes the event's rich history:
"Established in 1873, the Carnival of Viareggio is one of Italy’s most awaited events. Thousands of visitors flock to Viareggio to enjoy papier-mâché floats representing allegorical and satirical portraits of important figures who were in the limelight the previous year. In 2011, expect a packed program calendar: starting on February 20, Carnival will end with a bang on Marti Gras (March 8)."
Here is what one can expect this year according to the organizers:
"The usual five carnival masked parades are planned for February 20th , 27th and March 6th- 8th 13th , on the extraordinary Liberty style staging along the seaside avenues of Viareggio. Every evening, there are carnival celebrations in all of the city’s different quarters.
Viareggio Carnival’s peculiarity consists in giant, allegorical papier-maché floats – the biggest ones weighing about forty tons each – and expresses nowadays the old knowledge going back to the ancient ‘trionfi’ (war-victory feastings) of the Renaissance, adhering even more to the building techniques of the big sailing ships, a pride of Viareggio traditions.
Real travelling theatres – the allegorical papier-maché floats are the product of the unequalled creativity, of the extraordinary sculpture and painting skill of Viareggio ‘magicians’, and are the highest example of this popular art whose language has spread all over the world.
The parades take place in a ring-like circuit 2 km. long, on the seaside avenues of Viareggio, best known as La Passeggiata.
Here the floats move among the spectators, who can attend the show with no barriers, becoming in turn the protagonists of the parade."
I could taste Tuscan wines during the day and have my fill of food and and carnival in the evening.
(* Top illustration is of the 1949 edition of the Carnival from the event program pages)