I went to the Carnevale parade at Viareggio on Sunday. It is an amazing spectacle. The floats are incredible and I have taken lots of photos, far too many for one post. I’m going to start with the audience, because people put in a fair bit of effort just to attend. Italians love to dress up and wander about admiring each other. I saw some outstanding costumes, but it was difficult to photograph some of them as it was very crowded and people were on the move. I hope you like the ones I was able to capture on film. These were not necessarily the best, but they were the ones standing still long enough to be photographed.
little red riding hood - number 1
not afraid to look silly
off to join the gang
off the rack at the costume shop
not so cheerful red riding hood
it may not be a costume
happy to lose his head
posing with Topolino
nice hair
nice hats
shy Zorro
It is a pity Zorro turned shy, his moustache was very jaunty and his sword handling was fierce. I did ask permission before photographing the children.
a family group
very blue
topical
off duty Superman
Clockwork Orange revisited
they start young
some costumes are not complicated
getting tired
This innocent looking little girl was trying to get me to open my mouth – so she could fill it with silly string. I’m not that silly.
Pepe le Phew and friend
cow and friend
a lovely couple
friends
the family pet is not left out
red riding hood number 3
clowns get hungry too
happy Teletubbies
a family affair
There were thousands of people in the street to watch the parade of floats. There were no barricades along the side of the road to separate people from the huge mobile floats, but there were no accidents. People managed to keep out of the way, even if it was only by centimetres. There were people with children, dogs and even a cat was out with its owner. The crowd was exceptionally well behaved and just out to have a good time. Nobody was drunk or unruly and even though there was lots of jostling for position, it was all done with good humour. People were dancing and singing and enjoying the spirit of the occasion. I was impressed.
The next post will show you some of the incredible floats. I had a few favourites and I will show them in more detail later.