Viareggio Carnival Citadel and Museum

Museums

A large thematic center for learning about the history of the event and how the floats are made

The love affair between Viareggio and Carnival began in 1873 and has continued to grow over the years. The city has dedicated the Cittadella del Carnevale to its historic event. This is a large urban park where the Viareggio artisans, masters of papier-mâché, work, building giant carnival floats by hand.

The Viareggio Citadel is structured as a large circular square, empty in the center, with the various workshops where the floats and masks are created looking out onto it: as Carnival approaches, the doors of the artisan workshops are opened and the square becomes a meeting place for the papier-mâché artists and visitors.

One of the workshops inside the Carnival Citadel - Credit: Marta Mancini

Those constructing the floats moved here in 2001. They had previously worked in the hangars on Via Marco Polo. Before the war, the floats were made around the city, often between houses, wherever there was enough space to create a makeshift workshop, where chalk, paper and clay were mixed.

The Carnival Museum

Masks under construction at the Carnival Citadel - Credit: Marta Mancini

The Citadel is the largest thematic center in Italy dedicated to masks, containing not only the hangars where the floats are created and stored but also the Carnival Museum, open all year round, where the statue of Burlamacco, the imaginary clown-like figure created by Uberto Bonetti in 1930, welcomes visitors.

Here, you can relive the great history and tradition of the Viareggio Carnival: in fact, models of the winning floats from the last editions are on display, as well as the splendid official posters from 1925 to the present day and original works by artists who have worked on the Carnival, including Enrico Pranpolini, Lucio Venna and Moses Levy.

Lastly, in the museum you can see the backshop of the floats with your own eyes, thanks to the educational stand providing a step-by-step explanation of how a papier-mâché work is created and the educational workshops for those who want to try their hand at working with paper and clay to create their own mask. This is also a perfect activity for families with children.

Information on accessibility: regione.toscana.it