{:en}It will bring with it many fantastic novelties the 29th edition of CarnevaLöa, the great carnival event organized by the Old Loano Association with the contribution of the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sports of the City of Loano.
“CarnevaLöa,‘ recall Mayor Luigi Pignocca and Councillor for Tourism, Culture and Sports Remo Zaccaria, ’is the largest carnival in Liguria and one of the best known and most appreciated events of its kind nationwide. The Loano carnival is rooted in the history and cultural traditions of our community and that has helped make the name of Loano known throughout the region and beyond. The parade of floats attracts many guests to Loano from all parts of Italy and even abroad, and is the perfect showcase to showcase the skill of the ”paper mache masters' who handcraft these authentic works of art each year with great skill and patience.".
“In recent years the work of Vecchia Loano has not only been about organizing an increasingly rich, beautiful and engaging event, but it has been about safeguarding and passing on local carnival traditions to new generations. One example of this is the internships (which began last year) with students from the Albenga art high school, who were invited to closely admire and learn the work of the masters. In short, a 360-degree event somewhere between the past and the future, made possible by the skill and commitment of the volunteers, groups and associations that have been working tirelessly and with infinite passion for months to organize this event. To them goes the thanks of the entire administration and the entire citizenry.”.
The president of Old Loano, Agostino Delfino, joins the thanks of the city administration: “I want to express my sincerest gratitude to all the masters and volunteers of our association, who since the early days of October have been working to make the splendid floats that symbolize this event and to provide entertainment and fun for our fellow citizens and guests who come specially to Loano in February each year to participate in this splendid event.”.
The opening of the event will be held on Sunday, January 26, in Piazza Italia with the customary ceremony of the “handing over of the keys” of the city by Loano Mayor Luigi Pignocca to Beciancin (official mask of Carnevaloa) and the other masks Capitan Fracassa (Ligurian mask of the Commedia dell'Arte), Puè Pepin (the Carnival King) and Princess Doria del Castello (whose performer was elected last summer during the Miss Riviera delle Palme contest, also organized by Vecchia Loano). Numerous masks from Piedmont, Lombardy and Emilia, in addition to Liguria, are participating in the ceremony.
This year's “handing over of the keys” is part of “U Carleva da vallâ,” the big comprensorial carnival organized by Vecchia Loano, the Cultural Forum of Borghetto, and the Pro Loco of Toirano under the patronage of the municipalities of Borghetto Santo Spirito, Loano, Toirano and Balestrino. The event will begin Saturday, Jan. 25, in Balestrino: starting at 10 a.m. carnival delegations will gather at the Marchese's Antiche Scuderie; after a greeting from Mayor Gabriella Ismarro, the new local mask, U Cavigiottu, will be presented; this will be followed by a greeting to the masks and delegations present and the lighting of the torch of the comprensorial carnival. At about 12:30 p.m. the masks will move to Toirano: after the greeting by Mayor Giuseppe De Fezza, the new Toirano mask, U Trumbettè, will be presented and the passing of the torch will take place. After the lunch break there will be a parade of masks and delegations through the historic center.
“U Carleva da vallâ” will continue on Sunday, Jan. 26: at 10 a.m. masks and delegations will gather in Piazza Enrico Fermi in Borghetto; this will be followed by a parade to Piazza Libertà, which will host a greeting from Mayor Giancarlo Canepa and the presentation of local masks (U Cillu, Princess Perseghina and Cianta Coi) with the passing of the torch. After lunch the event will move to Loano: at 2:45 p.m. participants will gather in Piazza Italia for a greeting by Mayor Luigi Pignocca, the presentation of local masks (Capitan Fracassa, Puè Pepin and Princess Doria del Castello) and the passing of the torch. At 3:30 p.m. there will then be a parade through the historic center.
Two glimpses of CarnevaLöa will be had on Sunday, Feb. 2 and Sunday, Feb. 9 with the two “Children's Carnival” events to be held in Massena Square and Rocca Square, respectively. The two fun-filled masked afternoons dedicated to the little ones will begin at 3 p.m. with games, dancing, entertainment by the “Matti da Legare” and, in closing, a sweet snack for all. And on Sunday, Feb. 9, children can try their hand at the game of piñata.
On Sunday, Feb. 16, the highly anticipated parade of floats will be held on the waterfront. The floats, made by carnival artisans and inspired by cartoons, current events and satire, will leave at 3 p.m. from Piazza Mazzini, travel along Corso Roma and reach Piazza Cadorna, where they will turn around to return to the starting point. During the parade, the Palio dei Borghi, a carnival competition involving the “representative” floats of the Loano boroughs and some guest floats, out of competition, will take place. Also parading will be the Clock Tower and Palazzo Doria float with Loano masks (by the Vecchia Loano association) and the “Beccian Car,” the “rigadera” or watering can-shaped car, i.e., the symbol of Beciancin. The Pompeiana marching band will participate. The parade can be followed live on Facebook (@carnevaloa). At the Sea Workers“ Cottage, delicious ”bugie" prepared by the Brotherhood of White Hats will be available.
The carnival festival will conclude on Sunday, Feb. 23, with the Palio dei Comuni, in which the floats of the coastal and inland municipalities that have joined the event and the winner of the Palio dei Borghi of Loano (out of competition) will take part. The parade will kick off at 3 p.m. The Ventimiglia Philharmonic will participate. Delicious “lies” will be served at the Sea Workers' Cottage. Both the Palio dei Borghi and the Palio dei Comuni will be conducted by Stefania Vivioli.
Loano, along with Parma, Turin, Vercelli, Castelnuovo Don Bosco (Asti), Busca (Cuneo), Verona, Aosta, Acerra (Naples), Catanzaro, Polignano a Mare (Bari), and Sciacca (Agrigento) is a co-founder of the “National Coordination Center of Italian Masks.” The three masks Beciancin, Puè Pepin, Capitan Fracassa and Princess Doria del Castello are included in the “Register of Italian Masks,” in which all the masks of the Italian commedia dell'arte and folkloric characters of the various regional realities are included. The goal of the initiative is to enhance the carnival not only as an occasion for entertainment but also as a historical, traditional, cultural and tourist resource.
The Loano carnival has more than 100 years of history, and over time several associations have taken turns carrying on this tradition: the “Loano Sports Union,” the “Red Circle,” the “Fetaia,” the “Edelweiss,” the “Oriental Bluman Carovan” group, the “Puè Pepin” association , the “Azienda Autonoma di Turismo e Soggiorno” and since 1992 it has been the turn of the association “Vecchia Loano” with the support of the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sports of the Municipality of Loano.
Over the past few years the Loano carnival has come to be recognized by the region as the “largest carnival in Liguria” in terms of the number of floats, and for the past few years has included a mask from the Italian commedia dell'arte, Capitan Fracassa, who together with Puè Pepin, King of the Loano Carnival since 1950 and U Beciancin, a goliardic character from the early 1900s who is the official mask, make up a carnival trio now known throughout Italy.
In 2017, CarnevaLöa was awarded “historic carnival” status by the Ministry of Heritage and Culture for the important role it has played in promoting tourism in the area for a hundred years.
Last year saw the official opening of Vecchia Loano's “School of paper mache and carnival art.” Some students from Albenga's “Giordano Bruno” high school took part in an internship at the shed where the association's volunteers make the floats. “The teachers from the high school,‘ Delfino explains, ’visited our shed and were able to see the great skill with which our ”papier-mâché' people make the floats. Enthusiastic, they proposed that we sign an agreement that will allow young people who wish to do so to work with us on the construction of these true works of art.".
Also in 2019, Vecchia Loano, the Cultural Forum of Borghetto Santo Spirito and the Pro Loco of Toirano founded the “Ligurian Historical and Folkloric Characters Committee” whose primary purpose is to bring together under one “brand” all the Ligurian masks and to coordinate the work of the associations in the area active in organizing and promoting the carnivals of our region.
The committee is chaired by Elena Gandolfo, vice president of the Borghetto Cultural Forum as well as a member of the National Council of the Italian Masks Coordination; the vice president is Agostino Delfino, president of Vecchia Loano, whose office also hosts the consortium's activities.
“The committee,‘ Elena Gandolfo explains, ’was created as a reference at the regional level, but it works hand in hand with the Coordinamento Maschere Italiane. It is a fundamental tool to be able to better organize the activities of the various associations located in Liguria and the masks related to them. That of carnivals is a rapidly developing world, which is taking on a gradually increasing cultural depth. And masks no longer represent only ”characters' but are carriers of content related to local stories, traditions and customs.".
“The committee,” adds Agostino Delfino, "will look into the historical and cultural aspects of the existing masks and will also carry out an activity to recover those that have been forgotten and yet deserve to be brought back to light and included in the list of traditional Ligurian masks. This is a work of historical and anthropological research in its own right and as such must be carried out following very precise canons. As president of Vecchia Loano, then, I am particularly happy and proud to be able to host the Committee in our premises. This will give even greater luster to CarnevaLöa."{:}
