Carnevale di Rijeka (Fiume), in Croazia

Already in 1449, in fact, a decree from the City Council of Fiume (in Croatian Rijeka) prohibited the use of masks, perhaps for political reasons, but the charm of Carnival did not fade; on the contrary, by the 1800s the Istrian city was already famous for its Carnival, influenced by the Venetian and Viennese ones, highly appreciated and frequented by the Habsburg nobility, but also by Dalmatian peasants and fishermen, who with their horrifying masks tried to ward off evil spirits and open the doors to the impending spring. After the forced break due to the war events, in February 1982 three small masked groups paraded along the promenade, thus reviving the old “good and healthy custom” of celebrating Carnival. Today the two major events, the children’s parade on Saturday, February 18, 2017, and the international adult parade on Sunday, February 26 — both at noon — involve about a hundred groups, including some from abroad, acclaimed each year by at least 150,000 spectators.

Rijeka Carnival

Recognized as “one of the 500 most important events in Europe,” the Rijeka Carnival begins on January 17 (the peasant feast of Saint Anthony the Abbot) with the symbolic handing over of the city keys by the mayor to Mestar Toni, the master of the Carnival, and to the Carnival Queen, and concludes on Ash Wednesday, March 1. During this period, the city gates are “closed” to gloom and sadness, while they open wide to joy and color, embodied by the countless masks and the carefree lifestyle. Among the events worthy of attention is the burning of the Pust (a straw figure embodying evil, burned at the end of the Carnival after a summary trial with a foregone sentence), the Great Pajama Party, the Mask Marathon, and the masked car rally Pariz-Bakar, on a dizzying route.

Rijeka, third city of Croatia and first port

Rijeka, today the main commercial port and the third city of Croatia, has majestic nineteenth-century palaces, seats of great maritime companies, wide avenues in the old town full of bars, restaurants, shops, and intense nightlife. Not only that, this delightful town with a Central European imprint hosts splendid buildings, such as the fourteenth-century Civic Tower, the thirteenth-century Town Hall converted from a former convent, the Roman Arch old gate of Tersatica Latin, the baroque Cathedral of Saint Vitus, patron of the city, the Tersatto castle built on a Roman fortification, the Maritime Museum, and some churches.

If we want to visit Rijeka during the Carnival period, it is advisable to stay in some nearby tourist locations along the Istrian coast, such as Opatija-Abbazia (77 km from Trieste), 13 km away, which takes its name from an ancient thirteenth-century Benedictine abbey. The mild climate, both in summer and in winter, made this locality famous, a destination for European tourists for years.

Specialist since 1980 for all kinds of holidays in the former Yugoslavia is the operator “il Piccolo Tiglio,” to rely on to find personalized solutions even at Carnival time, with accommodations in 2, 3, 4, and 5-star structures, at definitely competitive prices.

For information:
tel. 0381 72 098
www.ilpiccolotiglio.com