Carnival of Venice

In late winter, mist hangs low over Venice and gondolas sway on the canals, then a mysterious figure in a velvet cloak and golden mask steps around a corner. The Carnival of Venice turns the whole city into one vast dressing-up stage, from the Flight of the Angel in Piazza San Marco to the water parades on the canals. You cannot tell who is performer and who is audience; you only know that this beauty and mystery exist nowhere else.