It is the float ’The Children's Carousel“ of the Upper Gazzi No Stop group that is the winner of the Palio dei Borghi, the carnival competition involving the ”representative“ floats of the Loano boroughs as part of the 2023 edition of CarnevaLöa, the big carnival event organized by the Old Loano Association with the contribution of the Tourism, Culture and Sports Department of the Loano Municipality.
Today, Sunday, Feb. 19, saw the first of two highly anticipated parades of floats on the waterfront. The event was inaugurated by Savona Prefect Enrico Gullotti, who cut the ribbon together with Mayor Luca Lettieri and representatives of the Loano municipal administration, Regional Councilor Angelo Vaccarezza, Vecchia Loano President Agostino Delfino, and Mariela Nunez, Miss Liguria 2022. After the inauguration, the prefect visited the Municipal Operations Center set up at the civic library in Kursaal Palace.
The parade of floats kicked off at 3 p.m. The floats, made by carnival artisans and inspired by cartoons, current events and satire, left at 3 p.m. from Mazzini Square, walked along Corso Roma and reached Cadorna Square, where they turned around to return to their starting point.
Opening the procession were the Clock Tower and Palazzo Doria floats with Loanese masks (U Beciancin, Capitan Fracassa, Puè Pepin and Princess Doria of the Castle) and the “Beccian Car,” the “rigadera” or watering can-shaped car, i.e., the symbol of Beciancin (both floats are by the Vecchia Loano association). Next are the guest floats, out of competition: Cars & Plans (by the Drift Kart Track of Albenga), The Farm (Conad of Toirano), The Talking Houses (A Maina de Loa-Fondocasa).
Also parading along the Loano waterfront were floats made by master paper mache artists from neighboring towns: Bardineto nel Cuore (Bardineto), The Ice Age (Varazze), and In This World of Thieves (Borghetto Santo Spirito).
It was then the turn of the representative floats of the Loano boroughs: Wednesday (from Dante Street and Roba da Matti Group), Loa Wimbredon (Meceti), The Wanderer (Borgo di Dentro), The Children's Carousel (Gazzi Superiori No Stop), and Neverland (Matetti Burdeluzi dei Mazzocchi).
First prize, as mentioned, went to the float of Gazzi Superiors No Stop. In second place was L'Isola che non c'è (Matetti Burdeluzi dei Mazzocchi) and in third place was Il giramondo (Borgo di Dentro); Mercoledì (of Via Dante and Roba da Matti Group) took the Originality Award; Loa Wimbredon (Meceti) was elected “float of merriment” and received the award in memory of Franco Giubellini.
Awarding the winners were Mayor Luca Lettieri, Tourism Assesor Enrica Rocca, Vecchia Loano President Agostino Delfino, and Consul General of the Dominican Republic in Genoa Nelson Calera Luna along with Mariela Nunez.
