The Schignano Carnival in Val d'Intelvi, Lake Como, is a very special carnival parade with very ancient origins. The parade takes place on Saturday and Shrove Tuesday.
Fun, exciting, but above all engaging, this eternal class challenge between "simple men and rich men," every year, respecting the cadences of the Roman rite, enlivens the Carnival in this corner of Val d'Intelvi, among green mountains that seem ready to dive into the blue of Lake Como.
A spectacle within a spectacle, the Schignano Carnival is handed down from generation to generation, respecting traditions that enhance the folkloric and cultural aspect of one of the most fascinating Carnivals, and precisely for this reason often the subject of study and research.
Accompanied by the notes of the Fughèta, the traditional village band, behind enigmatic masks carved by hand in wood, the Brut capture the attention of the large number of people present with leaps, falls and outfits that recall a humble lifestyle, covered in rags, animal skins and very heavy cowbells. Serious, distinguished and covered in lace, lace and trinkets, the Mascarun (the Beii), on the other hand, represent the wealthy class.
Other figures (the Sapoeurs, the Ciocia, the Sigurtà, the Carlisepp) then enliven the processions, projecting into the contemporary world a glimpse of life in days gone by. Everyone gets busy, but no one is allowed to speak, with the exception of Ciocia, Mascarun's wife-servant.
In short, a merry confused shambles in which each character has a role and a double task: that of preserving an evocative ancient tradition and at the same time giving a unique, multisensory experience to those who choose to enjoy live the colors, sounds, smells and flavors of the Carnival of Schignano, a splendid destination for a trip to the Lario and among its valleys, in search of ancestral rituals handed down from father to son over the centuries.
