There Still is a Place You Can be the Princess at the Ball

"It was about dusk, one evening during the supreme madness of the carnival season..." -- Cask of Amontillado

Every once in a while, in my responsible life I think... really? This is the most glamourous it's going to get? Don't get me wrong. I love my life. It is the exact reflection of my own choices. I embrace it. But I also embrace the idea of mystery, romance, intrigue and adventure. Not a whole of that going on in the desert.

So.

Now that I'm a grownup, with a real job and my whole life ahead of me... isn't there anywhere we can go to just have a glimpse of total and complete fantasy?

Readers. We can. It's called the Carnival of Venice.

The Carnival of Venice started in the 1300's and was called to a close in the late 1700's by the Austrian government who decided that the dangerous carnival season allowed the Venetians too many privileges. After all, how much trouble can people get into with masks? Well, in the 1300's there was a law passed in Venice stating that people could no longer pretend to be nuns or Priests and enter corresponding abbeys and monasteries. Also, people died during carnival in duels, intrigues, revenge plots. In fact, the Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe has poor Fortunato being stalked by Montressor. But today's Carnival is no dangerous den of thieves. Every year 30,000 people storm Venice staying in exquisitely glamorous hotels, wearing even more exquisite costumes and masks to participate in week long festivities of Baroque operas, plays and ... the balls! Below is a picture of the Palace of Doge in Venice where the most famous ball takes place. Click on this link for the full details and be prepared to be amazed!

http://www.ilballodeldoge.com/

Both men and women go above and beyond fantasy to achieve the perfect Renaissance or Baroque look. Some people spend thousands. Some just rent their costumes at their accommodating hotels prepared for the season.

Below is an example of the most beautiful baroque and renaissance gowns I've found here in the U.S.A, courtesy of www.romanticthreads.com. Check it out and fall in love!

It's hard to believe a girl can go somewhere so steeped in legend, romance and beauty. It's hard to imagine being able to redefine yourself however you wish for an entire week, divorced of any reality. But, for the right price-- and an extra special dose of adventurous spirit -- it can be ours at the Carnival of Venice.