Words cannot describe what I experienced in Foiano. For a small town, they sure did now how to do it BIG! Carnevale (carne=flesh, vale=go away,) is the equivalent of Mardi Gras. I've never experienced Mardi Gras but from what I heard, this was so much more amazing. It was nice to see the meaning behing carnevale, which is to let everyone "let loose," "blow off steam," and indulge before the forty days of Lent, in which they would have to give up the sins of the flesh such as meat, drink and other pleasures. It is a very human and healthy way to go about life if you think about it.
It was supposed to snow before we went to Foiano, so I wasn't very excited to go at first. There was a point when I thought I would just stay home in order to get over my cough (I've been sick these past couple days) but decided against it (thank goodness I did). Turned out, the weather was perfect. Our professors could not have hyped up this carnival enough for us to understand how wonderful it was. It was something you just had to experience for yourself. There was so much music and dancing. We all had way too much fun throwing confetti around (and at people's faces while they were talking, not fun)! At the end of it, there was so much confetti that we couldn't even see the ground! And it was all over our body/hair/bags that when I came home and took off my clothes, there was a lot more hidden in places that I wasn't sure how it got there. And brushing it out of my hair was a long difficult process.
The floats were completely magical. I've watched Thanksgiving parades and have participated in 4th of July parades in my hometown, but nothing could compare to the boldness and beauty of these Foiano floats. They were colorful, full of allegorical meanings and were so massive that I wasn't sure how they were going to fit through these tiny medieval streets! Another thing I learned about Italy is that they really liked to dance to Gangnam Style. It played about five times while we were there! I will be attending another (bigger) carnevale this weekend and I can't wait to compare the two experiences!
This is Doc. G and some of the All-Major students! We are kind of adorable and covered with confetti.
Until next time!
"What is the fatal charm of Italy? What do we find there that can be found nowhere else? I believe it is a certain permission to be human, which other places, other countries, lost long ago." -Erica Jong
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