Carnival

It is Carnival time here in Italy, so I decided to go again this year  to the Castelnovo di Sotto Carnival.

This is a typical Italian carnival where a  procession of floats with huge Papier Mâché sculptures are towed by tractors round and round the centre of the town. People on the floats shower the onlookers with paper confetti or sprayed gunk. It is impossible to get away unscathed.

Carnivale, Castelnovosotto, RE

Carnivale, Castelnovosotto, RE

Carnivale, Castelnovosotto, RE

Carnivale, Castelnovosotto, RE

Carnivale, Castelnovosotto, RE

Carnivale, Castelnovosotto, RE

These small town carnival processions have nothing in common with the refined Venice carnival, the music blaring out from the loudspeakers is deafening, the costumes often tend towards vulgarity and  a happy chaos abounds. 

Carnivale, Castelnovosotto, RE

Carnivale, Castelnovosotto, RE

Carnivale, Castelnovosotto, RE

Carnivale, Castelnovosotto, RE

This carnival dates back to at least the sixteenth century, with the appearance of the first carnival floats in the mid nineteenth century.

 

This year the floats were not up to the standard of last year, in fact the whole thing seemed a bit sad this year.It was also one of those horrible grey misty days we get here in the Pianura Padana which perhaps took away some of the atmosphere of the event.

Carnivale, Castelnovosotto, RE

Carnivale, Castelnovosotto, RE

Carnivale, Castelnovosotto, RE

Carnivale, Castelnovosotto, RE

Carnivale, Castelnovosotto, RE

 Anyway it is fun to photograph the Carnival with its bright gaudy colours.