During Carnival, the appointment is at Ponte Pietra!

A special appointment during the Carnival of Verona of this year will be the return, after forty years, of the traditional meeting at Ponte Pietra on Monday 27th between the masks of the left side of the Adige river with those ones of the opposite side that will shake hands as a sign of peace and sharing. The appointment meaning is the connection between the various neighborhoods and citizens committees, reunited once again in the name of the oldest traditions of the territory.

 

 

 

 

The origin of the Carnival of Verona dates back to many years ago and it is probably linked, even if it is not sure, to some pagan rituals and ceremonies.

 

It is said that the actual celebration is born in the neighborhood of San Zeno and during some tragic events, indeed, the first half of 1500, the population of the area was forced to rebel by famine and by the high price that the bread had reached at that time. The revolt was subdued thanks to some citizens which decided to distribute bread, dumplings and other food to the poorest in order to repair the situation. Among this group of citizens, there was also Tommaso Da Vico, a doctor, who became famous as initiator of the today-well-known Bacanal del Gnoco that stands for celebration of dumpling.

 

When you think about Carnival, what both adults and children think about are masks, and the most famous is certainly the one of Papà del Gnoco (dumpling dad).

 

The figure of the dumpling dad, was born in 1531, and he is among the oldest masks in Italy, he is the king of the Carnival of Verona and he parades in many Carnival celebration of this province. In 1949 this famous mask, initially inherited, became elective, so every year there are elections in order to know who will play the aspired role.

 

 

 

 

The Carnival floats and masks parade in the city of Verona is the most followed event but every village of the province organizes its own exhibition so that February and March are full events related to the Carnival and its traditions. Of course, the food is the other star of this celebration and the dumplings are a must in every house! The parade on Friday in the center of Verona promises to be the most busy one among recent years, for the number both of floats and spectators that are expected. At least 20 massive carnival floats are ready to parade through the streets of the city, many committees, in fact, made wonderful works in record time. The work behind this celebration is done mostly by volunteers, and the organization is not always simple, but this is a good example of how the pride and passion can get the better of means and limited time.