Carnival is a festival of ancient origins that is still widely celebrated in Italy, particulary in the cities of Venice and Viareggio. Besides presenting the opportunity to dress up in costume and masks and playfully subvert the social order, Carnival is also a chance to taste an incredible number of sweets.In fact, the holiday takes place right before lent. Thus many sweet specialties were invented to be eaten in anticipation of such a gastronomically austere period. Hurry up and get in your zeppole (at least four different types), chiacchiere, fritelle with apples or ricotta, cicerchiata, struffoli, castagnole, krapfen and other regional varieties!
