"Bacanal del Gnoco" & "Papà del Gnoco": the special Carnival in Verona

The origin of Carnival in Verona dates back to 1531, year in which a strong epidemic disease led the city up to the brink of a people uprising: the bakers refused to produce and sell bread because of the increasing in the price of the flour, rousing the people anger. San Zeno was one of the neighborhoods of Verona most involved in the revolt, in that time also the most populated and poorest of the city. To bring back calm, a Committee of wealthy citizens was nominated, and one of them, Tommaso da Vico, had the idea of distributing some bread, wine, butter, flour and cheese for free to the people, on the last Friday before Lent. In his will he asked to continue this tradition: this is how the Venardi Gnocolàr was born.

The most important mask of Verona Carnival (‘Bacanal del Gnoco’ in Verona dialect) is certainly the Papà del Gnoco (Gnoco’s Dad), that is elected in the full Piazza San Zeno every year after a real electoral campaign. The person who is elected must be well respected among the population: wearing the Sire’s clothes is a really serious ritual. The costume that he'll wear must be sewn by a tailor. It’s a ivory-color dress where some scraps of red cloth are sewn on, with a beautiful mantle and a huge hat. The tick white beard is really characteristic, too, made of buffalo wool, and with long and straight hair. The right hand holds a big fork where a huge ‘gnocco’ is stuck in.

To wear the costume Papà del Gnoco spends at least half an hour, and during the rite he’s helped by a marshal.
And if you want to participate to the next Papà elections you must know that to be eligible, besides being from Verona, you also have to be size XXXL!
The Papà del Gnoco distributes gnocos for free to the people during his parade, and he’s fallowed by Macaroni, dressed up too, that have been his supporters during the campaign for his election.


We remind you that the next Venardì Gnocolar is on the 4th of March in occasion of the allegoric coaches parade trough the centre streets of Verona.