A Venetian weekend: Island hopping and masquerades


Alana Grayson |Daily Trojan

Alana Grayson |Daily Trojan

“Don’t go to sleep. Just stay up the entire weekend. You can sleep when you get back,” is what Sam — every SACI (Studio Art Centers International) student’s helpful guide to surviving in Florence — told me when I bid him adieu and headed off to the station to catch a train to Venice, Italy. It was my first weekend trip away from Florence, and the first trip I had taken with my school. Typically, I’m one for flying solo but this wasn’t just any old field trip. Feb. 8 marked the first day of Venezia Carnevale 2015, a traditional festival where participants parade through the streets wearing lavish costumes and masks.

Besides being a major tourist attraction and hotspot for phenomenal photo ops, the carnival has significant historical context. Dating back to the 17th century, the wealthy held elaborate masquerade balls and dressed up in masks and costumes to celebrate the victory of the Serenissima Repubblica against the Patriarch of Aquileia. Eventually, the lower class Venetian citizens mimicked the rich, and held their own parties. They made their own garments and masks by hand, and for three weeks, everyone — rich and poor — would walk around Venice in costume and not be able to differentiate each other by social class. Barriers were temporarily broken, and for once, everyone was treated equally.

Since then, the carnival has persisted. Today, people from all over come to Venice to celebrate by wearing colorful handcrafted masks bought from street vendors and local shops, and admire the decorative ball gowns and headpieces that make their way through the crowded cobblestone streets.

Though my heart will always belong to Florence, I concede that Venice is probably the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen in my life. Prior to arriving, I had no clue that the entire city had been built on water. There’s water everywhere. Literally. No roads — only bodies of water that are navigated by boat.

In order to get anywhere far, my friends and I had to take a “water taxi,” which was an experience in itself. Within the two days we were there, we managed to see both Murano and Burano — two small islands off the coast of Venice famous for glass blowing and lace making. We were also able to visit the Peggy Guggenheim Museum of Art, and witness “The Flight of the Angel” in San Marco Square. My favorite place visited was Burano, which is most famous for its high chroma colored houses. Every photo I snapped on my iPhone 5 looked like something out of a fairytale.

Italian Phrase of the Week: “Vivi la tua vita in colore.” meaning, “Live your life in color.”