CARNIVAL IN VENICE SPECIAL 12th – 14th FEBRUARY 2010
Friday 12th February
Morning: arrival at Marco Polo Venice/Treviso Airport. Escorted transfer by water taxi or by car from the airport to the hotel. Check-in and welcome cocktail at the hotel. Presentation of the Carnival of Venice.
Afternoon: viewing at the Atelier Tiepolo at Hotel Danieli and dress rehearsal for the dinner dance “Il Minuetto”.
09.00pm: Fancy dress dinner dance “Il Minuetto” at the Hotel Danieli, a few steps from St. Mark’s Square.
During and after the dinner you will enjoy minuets, rondo, quadrilles, waltzes, accompanied by the classical ensemble of L'Offerta Musicale and leaded by the Dance Master. Dress code: costume
Saturday 13thFebruary
Breakfast at the hotel.
Morning: tour of Venice with a private guide. You start from the city’s open air lounge, St. Mark’s Square, with its namesake Basilica sparkling in gold and precious mosaics and the famous Palazzo Ducale, symbol of the power and wealth of the Serenissima Republic. You carry on along the Bridge of Sighs, in baroque style and known as in the past it was crossed by prisoners awaiting their sentences. Other symbol of the lagoon city is the lively Rialto Bridge, from which one has a magnificent view of the Grand Canal. Visit to a tipical local “vetreria” (glass makers)with a practical demonstration and creation of an artistic manufact in glass (length: 2 hours).
Lunch at a typical Venetian restaurant (not included in the package).
Afternoon: ride in a gondola along the canals of Venice to discover the best hidden and most misterious corners of the city (length: 30 minutes). Meeting place at Saint Mark’s (Calle Vallaresso).
Evening: dinner at the Restaurant “Do Forni” with local artists’ show.
Sunday 14th February
Breakfast at the hotel.
Morning: free time for shopping. Transfer by water taxi or by car with your tour leader to Marco Polo Airport.
Note: The Atelier Tiepolo offers a wide choice of 300 costumes, including wigs and accessories from the 15th to 20th centuries to rent for theatre shows, television, films, exhibitions and for private special events. The Atelier produce on demand costumes measure made
Program in Russian is available
PRICE PER PERSON PER PACKAGE
Price per person for a 3 day/2 night stay in double room, half board
THE PRICE INCLUDES
- Escorted trasfer to and from the airport/hotel
- Welcome cocktail and explanation of the Carnival
- 2 nights stay at a luxury hotel in double room, including breakfast
- Friday night’s dinner and dance at the Hotel Danieli Luxury, including drinks as per menu
- Saturday night’s dinner at the Restaurant Do Forni with artistic entertainment
- Guided tours as per programme
- Gondola ride
THE PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE
- Flights
- Handling fee of €30 per person including medical and luggage insurance
- Cancellation fee
- Drinks, gratuities, extras
- Lunches as per programme
- Costume hire, ranging from €150 per person + 20% VAT
- All that is not clearly indicated in “the amount includes”
MENU DINER DANSANT "IL MINUETTO" HOTEL DANIELI
Lobster cream and grey shrimps
Risotto with clams and sea scallops
Fillet of Gilthead with seasonal vegetables
Saint Victoria panna cotta, with prickly pears jelly
Traditional Venetian Carnival paistry
Coffee, mineral water and the following wines:Pinot Grigio (tenuta Villanova) - Cabernet Sauvignon (tenuta Villanova)
Dindarello F. Maculan (for the paistry)
…A historical taste of the Carnival…
Venice’s Carnival, if not the greatest, is one of the best known for its charm and for the mistery that it still holds although 900 years have passed since the first document refers to this famous event.
“Good Morning, Mrs. Mask”, is the greeting one could hear along the narrow lanes, in the canals. Ones personal identity, sex, and social standing did not count at this time of the year and one became part of the Great Illusion of the Carnival, in a unique place where anything can happen and every view is enchanting.
The artisans that created the masks were called “maschereri” since the times of Doge Foscari and they had their own statute dated April 1436. They belonged to the fringe of painters and and were helped by the “targheri” who impressed on the plaster finely detailed painted faces, at times with ridiculous features.
During the Carnival the Venetians allowed themselves any transgression. The “Bauta” or the “Moretta” were masks used to remain anonymous and they allowed for any forbidden game, both for men and women. Even priests and nuns took advantage of the masks to hide their faces and transgress in love affaires or “multas inhonestas”…
