Riva’s Fairy Tale Night Kicks Off With Village Transformations and Activities

As often happens in fairy tales, the twist came when everyone was still asleep. At dawn this morning, in fact, Peter Pan, Captain Hook, and the whole cheerful crew from James Matthew Barrie’s fairy tale took their places along the city center streets. Thus, many questions that, over the past three days, both adults and children had asked while passing by the groups of volunteers working on the set preparations, have been answered. Now, the celebration can truly begin.

Start of the festival and set designs

Precisely, starting this morning, everything became clear: the large skull in Piazza Catena, the crocodile with its jaws wide open, threateningly swimming in front of a sailor’s boat in the waters of the ancient port—right below the town hall windows—and the Indian teepee at the entrance of the old San Giuseppe church finally found their explanation. With the arrival of the fairy tale’s characters, created by the master paper-mâché artisans from Viareggio, the four-day celebration of the second edition of “Notte di Fiaba” (Fairy Tale Night) can commence with a new format.

The festival will reach its climax on Saturday evening when, at 10 PM, a firework display will launch, the result of the skill of the Mortarello family from Arquà Polesine, now on their fifth experience in the Rivana event.

Itinerary and daily activities

Starting at 4 PM this afternoon, meanwhile, the event “Journey into the Fairy Tale” begins—an itinerary-performance unfolding along the streets of Riva. Adults and children (the fee per person is 15,000 lire) will follow the trail of Giglio Tigrato, beginning from Piazza Battisti. At the end, after a long search that will stop at the giant, colorful characters of the fairy tale, it will conclude at Piazza Catena, with the grand pirates’ battle.

This event will be repeated every day from 4 PM, at intervals of about an hour, except for Saturday and Sunday, when “trips” are also scheduled at 11 AM.

Also at 4 PM today, in Piazza delle Erbe, the lost children will wait with their companions to start searching for Giglio Tigrato and kick off a treasure hunt for the little ones (children aged 6 and up), organized by Rivana Scouts. From today, in short, the official “Notte di Fiaba” begins, and Riva steps into the realm of fairy tales.