Checklist TAKING FLIGHT The Sunday morning Flight of the Angel from the top of the Campanile signals the start of Carnevale. Last year, Bianca Brandolini d’Adda was lowered slowly down into Piazza San Marco while the Hallelujah chorus played. The piazza was full of tourists and masked revellers watched a parade of medieval dignitaries. GRAND BALL The Serenissima Grand Ball at Palazzo Pesaro Papavafa is one of the many glamorous evening events that mix live music with good food and wine from the Veneto. All palazzos stand on canals, so guests arrive by water taxi or gondola. Tickets can be purchased through Liaisons Abroad (www. liaisonsabroad.com). THE DANIELI Venice’s oldest hotel always hosts an event to welcome costumed revellers on the first Saturday of Carnevale. Tickets cost 40 euros pp. In the past the hotel has been home to the composers Richard Wagner and Claude Debussy and the writers George Sand and Charles Dickens.
MEET THE REVELLERS Adrian Mourby and Kate Tadman-Mourby in their 18th century finest photographed on St Mark’s Basin. Antonia Sautter, creator of the annual Doge’s Ball, hires out costumes from her studio at Frezzeria, San Marco 1286 (www.iballodeldoge.com). Most people chose to dress in 18th century attire, but there are costumes to suit every taste. The Carnival of Venice runs from February 26 to March 8. For information on local hotels and event schedules, visit www.carnivalofvenice.com
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