VERONA! Home of the oldest CARNIVAL CELEBRATION in all of Italy!
If you think of Romeo and Juliet when you think of Verona you'd be right: Juliet's balcony is right in the city center. Or maybe Verona conjures up all the amazing Veneto wines produced in the area: it's another of Verona's incredible features. BUT: right now it's CARNIVAL SEASON and you may not know it but Verona is perhaps the oldest Carnival Celebration in all of Italy, if not the world! It gets started early in the third week of January with the selection of the new "Papà del Gnocco" and continues on until the Friday before Lent. The highlight is the great parade, with floats and dancers from all over the world who wind their way through the city center....and lots of gnocchi! But why are gnocchi intricately tied into Verona's Carnival Celebration? There's an important historical reason that dates back to 1531; have a listen to find out why!