This year’s carnevale recorded another record crowd with over 110,000 people on Saturday and Sunday. Of these, many are Italians who live in surrounding areas and take the train or bus into Venice and staying a few hours. However, they absolutely clog up the streets. Fortunately, the local authorities installed one-way paths which eliminates some of the traffic jams. The Rialto Bridge had two lanes of one way traffic with plenty of police to help people remember. If all these people shopped in the stores, sat in the restaurants or even stopped to taste some of the incredible frittelle (that little fried goodness with cream inside in the photo below) then locals wouldn’t be so outraged by the invasion into their city. And if these hit and run tourist would be civil and respectful to the older citizens of Venice, that would go a long way. But alas that is not what happens today. Seriously, 30 years ago when we started working in Venice, those little old ladies might have just taken a swing with their canes at these tourist (actually I have seen this happen).

To wrap up 2025 Carnevale, I chose to highlight some of the better costumes and stages I have seen there in some 20 years. Some of my favorite scenes and costumes over the years:

My all time favorite costume. While the classic designs of the 17th Century are beautiful, I love the costumes with creativity. And this young lady, a student, spent months creating this design. She won “costume of the year”.

One of my favorite designs in Piazza San Marco made in classic wood and featuring exhibits of the typical crafts of Venice: glass furnaces, crafting a gondola, fabric design,

This is the flag of La Serenissima the traditional name for the Republic of Venice, which was a maritime republic and sovereign state. At the end of Carnevale, the crowd of locals sing the anthem while the flag is being hoisted to the bell tower. It is one of my favorite parts of Carnevale.

And since today is the last chance to taste those luscious frittelle, here is the recipe to make them and what they should look like.

Frittell Recipe (Shown in both metric and the standard US) Click Here for the Recipe

Origins of the Frittelle:

• The frittella’s exact origins are uncertain, but some say they date back to ancient Rome 
• The first written recipe for Venetian frittelle dates to the 14th century 
• In the 17th century, frittelle were sold by street vendors called fritoleri 
• In 1600, fritoleri formed a corporation to protect their craft 

Popularity

• In the 18th century, frittelle became the official dessert of Carnival in Venice 
• They are now the official symbol of Carnival in the Veneto region 
• Frittelle are also known as zeppole in other parts of Italy 

Variations by Region: 

• Classic Venetian frittelle are made with raisins and covered in sugar
• Other fillings include chantilly cream, chocolate cream, or they can be empty
• In Naples, frittelle are made with custard crema and called Frittole di San Giuseppe