Tag Archives: carnevale

Celebrate the true Venetian-style Carnevale in DC

Grab your masks and celebrate Carnevale with us!

carnevale di venezia

Ready to pack your masks and fly to Venice? No worries if you can’t make it to the other end of the world for a weekend, because we are here to give you the real Carnevale experience (without the long flight)!

To give a little bit of background, Carnevale is the final celebration before Lent starts on Ash Wednesday. During the 40 days of Lent, many Christians commit to fasting or giving up certain types of luxuries as a form of penance – hence, people have to get rid of all of their rich food and drink (and partying of course!) out of the way before then. In fact, it is often rumored that the word Carnevale itself may have derived from the Latin words “carne” and “vale”, meaning “farewell to meat”!

Although there have been some interruptions and political bans throughout years, Italians started celebrating Carnevale in the 13th century. Traditionally, the fanciest and most glamorous celebrations take place in Ivrea, Viareggio, Putignano, Acireale and -of course- in Venezia! Today, Carnevale di Venezia is celebrated for two weeks by about 3 million tourists from all over the world, and is best known for its elegant masks. Even though many events- especially the most glamorous masquerade balls- are invite only and have expensive ticket prices, many others such as the concerts and street performances are free and open to public.

Have you already started feeling upset that you are missing this exciting and trendy festival? There is no reason to! Luckily, Via Umbria is hosting a Carnevale Celebration, a raucous party featuring all-you-can-eat Carnevale foods and special Carnevale cocktails. Join us for food, fun and masquerade and cut loose as we count down the days toward Lent.

For information on our Carnevale Celebrations please visit our website: viaumbria.com/events

Wednesday February 22 – Carnevale Masquerade

Tuesday February 28 – Cocktail Class: Fat Tuesday

Buon Carnevale!

Ready to pack your masks and fly to Venice? Read more

Grab your masks and celebrate Carnevale with us! Ready to pack your masks and fly to Venice? No worries if you can’t make ...

Our Amazing Artisans

Welcome to a new section on La Dolce Vita, “Our Amazing Artisans,” which features those who create and craft the special objects in our store. 

Today is the fantastic day of Carnevale. Here in DC, many people had an extra reason to celebrate, as the extended weekend of President’s Day got an extra boost with some help from a winter storm. So whether you’re feasting on an extra day of brunch, curled up with a cup of (spiked) hot cocoa or taking part in a giant Snowball Fight, this day is your last chance to get all those “unholy” tendencies out before Lent. Bill and Suzy got a taste of a wild Carnevale two years ago, but for today we all remain here in Georgetown, dreaming of attending a lavish Venetian ball.

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One of our favorite Italian Carnevale traditions is the wearing of masksBut even through this day only comes once a year, we can’t stand to put our beautiful masks away, which is why we hang them on our walls all year round.

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Our masks are sourced from the studio Alice le Maschere, where they are dreamed up and executed in a small town close to Florence. Two years ago, the Menards were led to the studio, and seduced by the exquisite creations.Today, we carry the most eclectic selection in our store, where we have lovingly modeled them for your Carnevale enjoyment.Take a peek at Bill’s post to discover why this studio is so very dear to us.

So go nuts on this Tuesday and have a fantastic Carnevale!

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— Via Umbria

Studio Alice le Maschere Read more

Welcome to a new section on La Dolce Vita, “Our Amazing Artisans,” which features those who create and craft the special objects ...