Carnevale Settembrino Celebrates Success and Re-elections in Torri
Success and Activity of the Event
This seventh edition of the «Carnevale Settembrino» was a great success in terms of popularity and attendance. It truly was a day filled with spectacle and fun last Saturday in the small lakeside town, highlighted by a special closing celebration of the summer tourist season in honor of Re Berengario, the first King of Italy who, during his lifetime, resided in Torri.
The day began early in the morning with a gathering of vintage cars and motorcycles, and continued in the afternoon with performances through the streets of the town, including the Polyphonic Choir of Verona, the group from Corno di Sarentino, with games and acrobatic displays by I Seguaci di Tanan, and finally, traditional folk songs and dances from Bolzano and South Tyrol performed by Schuplater Sarntal and the Volkstanzgruppe Deutschnofer.
Voting and Results
During the afternoon, voting also took place to re-elect the new ruler of the Carnevale Settembrino, specifically the masked figure, Re Berengario I, who will represent the town of Torri del Benaco in all provincial carnival events in Verona.
By evening, once the voting results were announced, the winner over the other two candidates was «El Vecia», whose real name is Marco Fava, a young local who had previously managed to win the throne two years ago. More than half of the 450 votes went to him, thus granting him the «mandate» to reign for another year.
Comments and Reflections
«The seventh edition, like all the previous ones», commented Mino Sartori, evening host and the soul of the Committee of Re Berengario I, the organization responsible for the Carnival, «was a huge success. There were 54 masked groups participating, coming from all over the province and, for the first time, from outside the region, including groups from Gonzaga, Castelgoffredo, and Modena, totaling over a thousand masks marching through the town and performing on stage».
Despite the joyful spirit of the celebration, a moment of reflection and mourning also took place for the tragedy in America just a few days prior. «We lit twelve torches on the tallest tower of the Castle», Sartori explained, «as a sign of mourning and prayer for the thousands of victims of the terrorist attack in the United States. We also explained the meaning of the torches over the microphone, including in German».
Memorial Moments and Celebrations
Resulting in a thunderous applause from the crowd, which had filled the town square near the port, where for a few moments everyone’s thoughts were with the American tragedy.
«Even though carnival is a festive occasion», commented Torri mayor Alberto Vedovelli, very pleased with how the day went, «it was necessary to dedicate a moment of remembrance to the tragedy that happened a few days ago. The municipal council had also considered suspending or postponing the event, but after seeing how other towns with planned festivities handled the situation, we decided to keep the mid-September date».
Finally, the spectacular fireworks launched into the sky and over the waters of Garda Lake provided a truly extraordinary conclusion to the event.
