Italian Carnival Vocabulary: Masks, Costumes, and Celebrations
Every year, in the weeks before Lent, Italy explodes into colour. Streets fill with masked figures, children throw coriandoli at strangers, enormous papier-mâché floats parade through medieval town centres, and adults who are normally reserved suddenly dance in public. Il Carnevale is the last great celebration before the austerity of Quaresima — Lent — and Italians have been throwing it with extraordinary flair for over five hundred years.
The most famous Italian Carnival is in Venice — Il Carnevale di Venezia — where elaborately masked people in period costumes promenade across Piazza San Marco in a scene that feels borrowed from a different century. But Italy's Carnival traditions are richly regional: Viareggio in Tuscany is famous for its enormous satirical floats, Ivrea in Piedmont has its legendary Battle of the Oranges, and in Sardinia the ancient Sartiglia of Oristano dates back to the medieval Spanish period. Each region has its own dialect words, customs, and foods.
Carnival Vocabulary
Il Carnevale di Venezia è famoso in tutto il mondo. — Venice Carnival is famous all over the world.
Che bella maschera! — What a beautiful mask!
Ho fatto un costume da Arlecchino. — I made a Harlequin costume.
Il travestimento è parte della tradizione. — Fancy dress is part of the tradition.
I bambini lanciano i coriandoli per strada. — Children throw confetti in the street.
Le stelle filanti sono dappertutto! — Streamers are everywhere!
I carri allegorici di Viareggio sono enormi. — The Viareggio floats are enormous.
La sfilata parte alle tre del pomeriggio. — The parade starts at three in the afternoon.
Siamo stati invitati a un ballo in maschera. — We were invited to a masked ball.
Arlecchino è il personaggio più riconoscibile. — Harlequin is the most recognisable character.
Colombina indossa sempre una mezza maschera. — Colombina always wears a half-mask.
La Bauta è la maschera più antica di Venezia. — The Bauta is Venice's oldest mask.
Dopo il Carnevale inizia la Quaresima. — After Carnival, Lent begins.
Le frittelle veneziane sono buonissime. — Venetian carnival doughnuts are delicious.
A Carnevale si mangiano sempre le chiacchiere. — At Carnival you always eat chiacchiere.
Talking About Carnival
Sei in maschera?
Are you in costume?
Di che cosa ti sei travestito?
What did you dress up as?
Mi sono travestito da pirata.
I dressed up as a pirate.
Il Carnevale quest'anno cade a febbraio.
Carnival this year falls in February.
Vieni alla sfilata con noi?
Are you coming to the parade with us?
Ho comprato le chiacchiere in pasticceria.
I bought the fried pastry at the cake shop.
The word 'carnevale' most likely comes from the Latin 'carne levare' — to remove meat — marking the last days of indulgence before the Lenten fast. In Venice, Carnival was such a wild affair in the Republic's heyday that the government had to legislate when masks could be worn. At its most extreme, Venetians wore masks for six months of the year, using anonymity to gamble, flirt, and conduct business across social classes. The tradition was abolished when Napoleon conquered Venice in 1797 and was only revived in 1979.
The Commedia dell'Arte — Italy's great tradition of improvisational theatre — lives on most visibly through the masks of Carnival. Arlecchino (Harlequin) with his diamond-patterned suit, Pantalone the miserly merchant, the Doctor from Bologna, the Captain, Colombina — these are not just Carnival costumes, they are characters from a four-hundred-year-old theatrical tradition that shaped European comedy from Molière to Shakespeare. When an Italian child puts on an Arlecchino costume at Carnival, they are participating, knowingly or not, in one of the world's oldest living theatrical traditions.
Regional Carnival Traditions
| Carnival | Location | Famous for |
|---|---|---|
| Carnevale di Venezia | Venice, Veneto | Elaborate period masks and costumes, Piazza San Marco |
| Carnevale di Viareggio | Viareggio, Tuscany | Giant satirical floats, political commentary |
| Carnevale di Ivrea | Ivrea, Piedmont | Battle of the Oranges — three days of orange-throwing |
| Sartiglia di Oristano | Oristano, Sardinia | Medieval equestrian tournament with masked riders |
| Carnevale di Putignano | Putignano, Puglia | Oldest carnival in Italy (1394), satirical floats |
The food of Carnival is as important as the costumes. Beyond the famous chiacchiere (also called frappe, cenci, galani, or bugie depending on the region — Italy's carnival pastry has dozens of local names), each region has its own specialities. Venetians eat frittelle — fried dough balls filled with raisins, pine nuts, and sometimes cream. Romans eat frappe and castagnole (small fried dough balls dusted with sugar). In Naples, the traditional carnival dessert is the migliaccio — a semolina cake flavoured with ricotta and orange. Knowing the food vocabulary is knowing the heart of Italian carnival culture.
Carnival Food Vocabulary
In Toscana le chiamano cenci, a Roma frappe. — In Tuscany they call them cenci, in Rome frappe.
Le frittelle di Venezia sono ripiene di uvetta e pinoli. — Venetian frittelle are filled with raisins and pine nuts.
Le castagnole al rhum sono deliziose. — Rum-flavoured castagnole are delicious.
Il migliaccio napoletano si prepara con semolino e ricotta. — Neapolitan migliaccio is prepared with semolina and ricotta.
2,500+ free exercises are waiting for you.
Start practising free →