PIAZZA SAN MARCO: where Carnival lives San Marco's square has always been the more traditional place for celebrations, in Venice, throughout the centuries. And there must be a reason for that: it is in reality the only really big open space in the whole town, where narrow streets, bridges and water channels create an intricate web of passageways.

Anonimo - "Il Carnevale di Venezia" - engraving (1757)