Torri’s Settembre Carnival Brings Masks, Parades, and Fireworks
Everything is ready for the final event of the summer tourist season, scheduled for the entire day on Saturday. And so, for the seventh time, the small lakeside town prepares to host the «Settembre Carnival», a true out-of-season celebration complete with masks and the election of the Carnival King.
Description of the event
«This particular event», explained the mayor of Torri Alberto Vedovelli, «has gained increasing popularity over the years and has managed to add, with each edition, something special and new. It’s the moment when», the mayor explains, «the summer tourist season essentially closes, and almost all the major masked groups from Verona and the entire province are brought into the town». Organized by the Comune in collaboration with the lakeside tourism promotion company, the event is actually managed by the Corte di Re Berengario committee, whose heart and soul is the event’s announcer, Mino Sartori.
Participation and programming
«This year’s carnival», Sartori previews, «for the first time, will even manage to go beyond provincial borders, as we expect quite large groups of masks, coming from Modena, Gonzaga, and Turin. In total, there should be well over a thousand masks participating in the parade, compared to the 964 in the 2000 edition. Additionally, the German newspaper “Zeitung” has dedicated half a page in each of the last four issues to our event.» This is a clear sign of the appreciation and anticipation that even German tourists have for this unusual evening celebration.
This year’s schedule includes, at 10 a.m., in the town square by the port, the fifth edition of the classic car and motorcycle gathering, which will then parade through the streets of the center and in the hamlets of Pai and Albisano. Starting at 3 p.m., across the central streets of the town, there will be performances by four different groups of artists and musicians, hailing from Alto Adige, South Tyrol, and Verona.
The followers of Tanan will showcase games and acrobatics, the polyphonic choir Verona Le Istituzioni Harmoniche will perform their repertoire of medieval music, along with two horn groups: the Sarentino and the Schuplatter Sarntal from Bolzano. Finally, traditional dances of the Volkstanzgruppe Deutschnofer will also be on display.
Voting and the celebration’s finale
At 5 p.m., in the church square, voting will begin to elect the Carnival King, or the mask that inspires the entire «Settembre Carnival» event. Historically, the first king of Italy stayed in Torri del Benaco, and even today, there is a tower near the church bearing his name.
This year, three candidates will compete for the crown of King and will represent the town in various provincial carnivals. The names of the three contenders are top secret — at least for now — and will be officially announced on Saturday. Then, at 8:30 p.m., there will be a parade of masks and the crowning of the new Berengario Primo. At 11:30 p.m., one of the most awaited and picturesque moments of the celebration: the fireworks display, from both the castle towers and over the waters of the lake facing the port.
