The city of Rome is reviving its Carnival season 2013 to rival the famous Carnival of Venice. Sparked off on the 2 February with a lively procession of horse riders, fire-eaters, acrobats and costumed players parading down the central Via del Corso to Piazza del Popolo, the event was a revocation of the once-celebrated and magnificent Rome Carnivals of the 18-19 century. Artistic Director Leonardo Petrillo has dedicated this edition to Yorick, the court jester lamented by Shakespeare Hamlet.
Since the last war, the Rome jamboree prior to Lent has been restricted mainly to children dressing up and private parties. With the present extravaganza, which lasts until the 12 February with events all over the city, Rome city council hopes to attract more tourists during the off-season period between the New Year and Easter.
The present festival coincides this year with Chinese New Year, celebrated with increasing pomp by the numerous Chinese community. The Year of the Snake was heralded in with a dragon dance and over 100 acrobats and artistes from the National Acrobatic Company, the Peking Opera and Dance Theatre and the Wanxing Song and Dance Company of Peking performing in Via dei Fori Imperiali. The three-hour show culminated with a firework display illuminating the sky over the Colosseum.
Info: www.carnevale.roma.it
