Carnival in Italy and some curiosities concerning its origins. There are various attributions regarding the etymology of the word 'Carnival'. The most common and accredited one would make it derive from the Latin 'carnem levare', meaning to abolish meat from the diet, popularly translated as 'carne-vale'. It stood for the last meat banquet held the day before the fasting period of Lent.

The disguise, typical of Carnival in Italy, dates back to the Palaeolithic period, when sorcerers during magic rites adorned their bodies with feathers and rattles and hid their faces with frightening-looking masks to drive away evil spirits.