Viareggio, a seaside resort about a 20-minute drive north of Camp Darby in Italy, attracts thousands of visitors to its beaches in the summer. But the highlight of the winter is its annual Carnevale celebration — one of the most famous in Italy.

Kent Harris / S&S

This float, called "Press Fiction," is predominantly black-and-white, which sets it apart from all of its colorful competitors at this year's Carnevale celebration in Viareggio, Italy.

Kent Harris / S&S

VIAREGGIO, Italy — In Venice, Carnevale is all about masks, mystery and elegance.

The largest celebration on the opposite coast of Italy arguably lacks such sophistication. But Venice doesn’t have huge floats parading down the promenade, to say nothing of the noise level that Carnevale in Viareggio generates.

And the celebration in Viareggio, a beach resort about 20 minutes’ drive north of Camp Darby, isn’t some fly-by-night operation either. They’ve been pulling hand-made carts around the heart of the city at this time of year for 130 years.

“I love it here,” said Anthony Dolan, an American college student taking courses in nearby Florence. “It’s great.”

Dolan got to see firsthand the differences between the two celebrations, which battle for bragging rights in northern Italy. He visited Venice on Saturday, then took in Viareggio on Sunday.

“It was much more formal in Venice,” he said. “This seems like it’s more of a family atmosphere. And it’s not as touristy.”

That might be true, particularly for foreign tourists. While non-Italians flock to Venice to take in the extravagantly dressed people at Piazza San Marco, they don’t appear to be in Viareggio in as much force.

Not that there’s a lot of room for them. Italians drive from miles around to participate in the events.

The most popular events each year are on Sundays. That’s when the floats, which takerequire months to produce, take center stage — or at least the parts of the crowded streets that pedestrians are compelled to give up.

This year, 10 huge floats are competing for prizes that will be announced during the last parade on March 9.

In the meantime, they’re also competing for the attention of festival-goers who have a lot of other things to look. There are about a dozen smaller floats, as well as groups or individuals turned into miniature floats of a sort.

A handful of marching bands play tunes that are quickly drowned out by the next oncoming float.

Each of the large floats — all with political or social themes of some sort — contains movable parts. On Sunday, for instance, a giant purple gorilla gyrated on a float questioning experimentation on animals.

Dozens of Italians clustered under the gorilla’s shadow on the float sang and danced to various American and European pop songs blaring from speakers.

“It’s interesting to see the political aspect,” said Judy Evans, an American with a tour group that’s staying in Florence. Her son is in the Marines in the States. “It’s fun. It’s brought some of us back to our childhoods.”

A good number of people were walking along the beach before the parade started in the afternoon. Many of them were families, all decked out alike in themed costumes.

There were groups of bears, giraffes, tigers and more than a few “animals” that would have zookeepers scratching their heads. One would be hard-pressed to find a single person under 25 who wasn’t in costume.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was a common sight at Viareggio: his likeness was everywhere — though not usually in a flattering way — on floats and in the crowd.

Since the floats take months to build, there isn’t much regarding sentiment for a potential war in Iraq. There were dozens of the rainbow-colored pace (peace) signs Sunday that have sprouted across the country, but many others were wearing hats with the the colors of the American flag.

If you go

Viareggio is just off Autostrada 12 that runs between Pisa and Genoa. It’s about an hour’s drive west of Florence.

Parades continue Sunday and conclude March 9 — when a fireworks display is also scheduled. The parades usually start at about 3 p.m., with carnival rides and other attractions opening earlier.

Parking can be a problem, so visitors are advised to arrive early — and walk a few blocks. It costs 11 euros to get into the grounds where most of the activity takes place.

There are plenty of places to eat, though much of the food tends to be of the carnival variety. One local specialty is brigidini, wafers that resemble crumpled up sand dollars. They’re sold in bags like tortilla chips.

— Kent Harris

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