After a two-year halt due to the pandemic, Loano is ready for the 2023 edition of CarnevaLöa, the big carnival event organized by the Old Loano Association with the contribution of the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sports of the Municipality of Loano.
“At last,‘ declare Mayor Luca Lettieri and Tourism, Culture and Sports Councillor Enrica Rocca, ’what is the largest carnival in Liguria and one of the best known and most appreciated events of its kind nationwide is back in its winter version. CarnevaLöa is not only an event that attracts so many guests from all over Italy and abroad to Loano and has helped make the name of Loano known throughout the country, but also a way to pass on the history of communities. The masks, in fact, draw heavily from the cultural tradition of the localities from which they come, and the floats represent true works of art handcrafted by the ”paper mache masters,' who hand down from generation to generation the secrets of a difficult and rather ancient craft. As an administration, we would like to thank the volunteers of Vecchia Loano and all the other associations that participate in CarnevaLöa for their efforts each year in the success of this highly anticipated event.".
The opening of the event will be held on Sunday, January 29 at 2:45 p.m. in Italy Square with the usual “handing over the keys” ceremony of the city by Loano Mayor Luca Lettieri 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 of the Castle. Numerous masks from Piedmont, Lombardy and Emilia, as well as from Liguria, participate in the ceremony.
Two tastings of CarnevaLöa will take place on Sunday, February 5, and Sunday, February 12, with the regular “Children's Carnival” to be held in Piazza Massena and Piazza Italia, respectively. The two fun-filled masquerade afternoons dedicated to children 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. 12, children can try their hand at the game of piñata.
The Youth Group Loano 2.0 organized for Saturday, Feb. 18 at Mount Carmel Convent an afternoon of “Carnival and pancakes”. Starting at 3 p.m. games and pancakes; from 4 p.m. piñata for all children.
On Sunday, February 19, the highly anticipated parade of floats on the waterfront. The floats, made by carnival artisans and inspired by cartoons, current events and satire, will leave at 3 p.m. from Mazzini Square, travel along Corso Roma and reach Cadorna Square, where they will turn around to return to the starting point. During the parade, the Village Palio, a carnival competition involving the “representative” floats of the Loano villages and some guest floats, out of competition. For the boroughs of Loano, contending for victory will be The Talking Houses (A Maina de Loa-Fondocasa), Peter Pan (Matetti Burdeluzi dei Mazzocchi), The Tennis Champions (Meceti), Mime at Luna Park (Gazzi Superiori Non Stop), Wednesday (Trenini Miletto), The Wanderer (Borgo di Dentro). Also parading on the Loano waterfront will be floats made by master papier-mâché artists from neighboring towns: The Farm (Conad di Toirano), Lupin (Borghetto Santo Spirito), Balla coi Cinghiali (Bardineto), The Ice Age (Varazze), Cars (from Albenga's Drift Kart Track). Also parading will be the Clock Tower and Palazzo Doria float with Lovese masks (by the association Vecchia Loano) and the “Beccian Car,” the “rigadera” or watering can-shaped car, that is 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, February 26, with the Palio of the Commons, in which floats from the coastal and inland municipalities that have joined the event and the winner of the Loano Palio dei Borghi (out of competition) will take part. The parade will kick off at 3 p.m. The City of Ventimiglia marching band will participate. At the Sea Workers“ Cottage, the ”lies" will also return.
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.
Vecchia Loano's “School of paper mache and carnival art” was officially opened in 2019. 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.
Also in 2019, Vecchia Loano, the Cultural Forum of Borghetto Santo Spirito and the Pro Loco of Toirano founded the “Ligurian Historical and Folkloristic 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 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, masks that no longer represent only ‘characters’ but are bearers of content related to local stories, traditions and customs. The committee is concerned with investigating the historical and cultural aspects of existing masks and will also carry out an activity to recover those that have been forgotten and yet deserve to be brought to light and included in the list of traditional Ligurian masks.
