Carnevale di Viareggio

I've had a few requests to go into more detail on the Carnevale di Viareggio.  It was certainly one of the highlights of our amazing (though curtailed) trip to Italy.  I wasn't expecting the spectacle that greeted us when we got to this seaside town, although Chris, having done his research, knew what was waiting for us.

The story is that the first Carnevale parade was held in 1873. A group of wealthy noblemen from neighboring Lucca were wintering in the seaside village and wanted to have a parade of carriages adorned with flowers.  Locals took the opportunity to voice their dissatisfaction against increasing taxes and disrupted the parade wearing costumes and colored masks.

That marked the beginning of a tradition of making statements on the politics and culture of the day.  It also lasts the entire month of February, with parades on each Sunday of the month and the final parade on what we know as Fat Tuesday.

Today, the parade is highlighted by massive animated floats which tower above the buildings along the parade route -- La Passeggiata.  Each of these floats is accompanied by a troupe of dancers both on and preceding the float.  Music and choreography are unique to each float.  There are also clusters of smaller floats.  Prizes are awarded at the end of Carnevale in a variety of categories.

The floats travel along La Passeggiata -- a boulevard that is approximately 2km long so that spectators standing in the street's median are sandwiched between the floats.  Spectators can also move freely alongside and between the floats, too, providing a truly personal experience.  It is definitely a spectacle to experience if you ever get the chance.

I did a little bit of research on the meaning behind the 2020 floats. Here's information that I'm taking directly from this source on some of the floats I enjoyed most:

From the clip above:

1. "Hug me, it's Carnevale" - The float pays tribute to altruism, symbolized by an embrace. Neapolitan philosopher Luciano De Crescenzo used to say, “We are angels with only one wing, thus we can fly only if we embrace”. Inspired by this, the artist depicts his dreamlike vision of an embrace where two strands of DNA constitute the characters who symbolize universal knowledge: cosmos, music, love, art and literature. The sculpture representing the endless embrace is at the centre of the float, while on the stage the smiling King Carnevale invites us to hug one another.
2. "The Great Leap" - A robotic tiger sporting the symbols of the People’s Republic of China asserts its power over a well-known icon of American pop culture. A lotus flower, similar to Huawei’s logo, frames the tiger’s body while a scroll of apparently Chinese golden pictograms screens a wall made up of containers, the symbol of globalization in commerce. A faded portrait of the Great Helmsman hangs in the background, the Chinese pop icon so well depicted by Andy Warhol. In some parts of the world, globalization and free trade are still creating deep pockets of poverty and social inequality, whereas in the “most advanced” countries, economic and social stability have been undermined.
3. "Hunting for a Happy Ending" - Majestic, elegant and stunningly beautiful. With its strength, pride, grace and aggressiveness, the tiger is one of the animal kingdom’s icons. Once worshiped, today tigers are at risk of extinction because of man. The float decries this grave danger, telling the story of a family that fights with all its might to ensure a future for our planet’s biodiversity, in the hope that man will reverse his course and start hunting for a happy ending.

In the clip below: 

1. "Home Sweet Home" - While humanity seems to be swimming happily towards dire straits, the Earth – our sweet home as stated by the title, is swiftly heading to the point of no return. Following our brain, courage and heart is the only path to salvation, just like new scarecrows, lions and tin men. The characters of the Wizard of Oz become an allegory, warning humanity and committing to building a new possible world. Greta Thunberg is the protagonist at the centre of the float, our Dorothy on a journey towards a new awareness.
2. "Blessed Ignorance" - Knowledge and ignorance are the two sides of the same coin, which has the face of modern man. The Internet, our daily bread, is a great tool of knowledge but is increasingly becoming a vehicle disinformation. As the number of read books decreases, the number of views and likes goes up. The great Centaur at the centre of the float symbolizes the spreading of ignorance that is multiplied by social media, by reality shows, by school and politics. Wielding an axe in his hand, the Centaur slashes towers of books. Icons of centuries of culture are erased in an instant.
3. "if it were fire" The construction is a complaint against the devastating fires caused by human hands. The thoughtless gesture of a madman, depicted as a pig typical of nineteenth-century graphics, causes the destruction of entire woods. But what is behind the hand of the arsonists? Crazy craze, crime or a desire to feel powerful? 
4. "In Wonderland" - Social-media mania narrated through the lens of Alice in Wonderland. However, the world of likes, posts and stories is not as wonderful as it seems. It takes away our desire of friendship, of social life and of building relationships with others, giving free rein instead to the Ego that feeds on a fabricated reality.
5. "Robotika" - The future is here. Robotics already monitor every moment in our everyday lives. What will tomorrow bring? Will artificial intelligence take over every aspect of human activity and thought? The allegorical float is a warning to all of us: a large figure with a human face is at its centre and reveals its complete internal robotization. A positive message however shines through: robots can never have the feelings, at least until today.
6. "Idol" - The powerful God-making factory never stops and a new idol is ready. A new gigantic, speedy, and imposing object of idolatry is born. Created by the people for the people, the Frankenstein-like new idol advances and dominates the scene, influencing our daily lives. The Idol is my slave of which I am a slave.
7. "Our Great Geniuses" - Great inventions by Italian geniuses have changed humanity! From the radio and telegraph to the compass and telescope, green-white-red inventors have lain the foundation for exploration and communication. Having untied ancient bonds, we hope that our contemporary “geniuses” will strive to make the name of Italy fly in Europe and in the world.
8. "Ole" - The float takes a stand against bullfighting, a traditional spectacle that in some locations is considered cultural heritage, but that for the artist represents a macabre ritual, a liturgy of death. This time, the bull is the main protagonist of the float as he wields a red cape and shows it to the petrified bullfighter, who now understands that the show has no magical and epic dimension, but that it is only a one-way journey to a bloody death.

Stephanie Weber · 2d