carnival parade

i was one of the 25.000 visitors of the famous carnival parade in muggia. i had never watched one in 3 years that we've been living here in trieste. so yesterday, on valentine's day, i made my way to the 57th show that attracts people from this area and also from neighborhood countries. i spotted a few german and austrian cars together with the many slovenes.

i made my way with early anticipation. i knew it was a mess so i had plenty of time to park my car before the police blocked the entrances to the city and find a strategical shooting point. it was in front of the jury box, where the show showed its best. 

while i took photos of the waiting people to warm my camera i realized people are really excited about this event. i watched them sit on the chairs or blankets they had taken from home, i felt like a photoreporter and smiled at the prospect of the beautiful shots i was about to take because of the okay light. it was very sunny like forecasted. 

 

 

it was awfully cold, too, and the parade was unusually late. people were badly annoyed, someone said one of the carts was on fire and another had technical problems. by the time the first cart appeared on the horizon i was so frozen, like someone naked in an igloo, that i considered to leave. i had also promised alice to take her to the party at the local mc donalds, i didn't have much time left.

so i watched only 4 of the 8 companies performing in the competition. i read that these people never hide their faces behind anonymous mask, and it was true. the sketches and the jokes were well made and both cotumes and coreographies were pretty elaborate. their allegoric carts were colorful and the result of long and detailed preparation, which takes place in the cellars of private houses during the months preceeding the event. they take advantage of skills from a solid traditon of handicraft. some of the maks were really ingenious.    

 

 

 

i obviously can't post all my pics here, so please have a look at the complete photo coverage they took about the parade. it's really worth a visit!

i'm off to another carnival celebration now, with alice. another afternoon of fun. even if, honestly, it's enough now hey! tomorrow there'll be one last party and then back to life.