2Venice Carnival Disappeared for Almost Two Centuries
Many people assume Venice Carnival has existed continuously since the Middle Ages. In reality, it nearly vanished altogether.
When the Venetian Republic fell to Napoleon in 1797, carnival was suppressed. Masks were banned, public celebrations discouraged, and Venice’s identity as a free-spirited republic slowly faded.
For nearly 200 years, carnival survived only in private gatherings and faint cultural memory. It wasn’t until 1979 that Venice Carnival was officially revived, partly to restore local traditions and partly to reawaken Venice’s global cultural appeal.
What visitors experience today is both a revival and a reinvention — inspired by history, but shaped by modern imagination.
