Carnival celebrations kick off in Italy

Multiple Italian cities are planning carnival events for the days and weeks ahead. In Venice and Viareggio, the celebrations have already begun.

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00:00The Venice Carnival opened with a performance marking the 300th anniversary of Casanova,

00:08the city's famed writer, adventurer and legendary lover. Crowds gathered in the famous Piazza

00:14San Marco on Valentine's Day for performance of a Casanova opera pop.

00:19This year's carnival will run until March 4th and will include costumed balls, water

00:24parades and theatre performances. It takes place in the weeks leading up to Mardi Gras

00:29and the start of Lent. For the Catholic Church, Lent is a period of reflection, repentance

00:35and fasting. So Carnival developed as a last gasp wild party before the Lenten period.

00:41Carnival began in Venice in the 11th century and the Venetians extended the period to roughly

00:45two months of festivities. Over the centuries, the Venetian Carnival attracted nobility from

00:50around Europe allowing them to participate in all sorts of fun, both legal and illicit.

00:56Now it attracts revelers from all around the world.