Carnevale Romano, remembering this crazy celebration
It’s almost Easter now but an interesting exhibition still on-going in Rome brings us back to the Carnival atmosphere. “Carnevale Romano” is the title of this temporary exhibition which is located in the Museo di Roma of Palazzo Braschi, just nearby Piazza Navona. A collection of over 90 art pieces, including prints of Bartolomeo and Achille Pinelli, watercolours of Jean Louis Baptiste Thomas and paintings of Orlov and Werner.
In Italy there are several famous Carnival celebrations: the most glorious one is certainly from Venice but also the one from Viareggio and the historical Carnival of Ivrea attract tourists from all over the world. Not many people know, anyway, that until the second half of 19th century, also in Rome there used to be a famous and of course crazy Carnival. Before Rome was added to the Italian Republic and was still part of the Papal State, the days of Carnival, before Lent, were a unique chance for the lowest social classes to turn the social order upside down and exchange their otherwise very miserable lives for a different life for a brief moment. Many artists, during the centuries, celebrated the crazy atmosphere of Roman Carnival in their Grand Tour diaries: Among these, Goldoni, Belli and a young Goethe, admitting his difficulties in finding right words to describe such an explosion of colours and noises.
The entire zone of the city center was invaded by a mass of people dressed in carnival costumes of Meo Patacca, Rugantino, Cassandrino and other famous local characters of the “Commedia dell’Arte”.
Music, noise, jokes, dissolute and libertine behaviour were characterizing these celebrations. However the main events of the ancient Roman Carnival were 2:
- The race of the Berbers, wild horses which were left running from Piazza del Popolo, all along Via del Corso.
- The final feast of “Moccoletti”: in Roman dialect, Moccoletti were candles that everyone had to fix behind their back. During the final day of Carnival people were trying to turn these candles off from each other.
The “Carnevale Romano” exhibition will last until April 5th, it is open every day but Monday. The opening hours are from 9am to 7pm in Museo di Roma of Palazzo Braschi. Ticket price is 8 euros.
For sure another wonderful occasion to rent apartments in Rome and spend a few days in the Eternal City.
