Venice's very existence inspires wonder, and during Carnival, this city of canals provides a fanciful backdrop for the festivities leading up to Lent. Costumes, and notably masks, have added to ...

Carnival masks placed on display in a Venetian artisan mask makers shop in Venice, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021.

Venetian artisan mask maker Gualtiero Dall'Osto works on a carnival costume hat made to resemble the COVID-19 virus in his laboratory in Venice, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021.

When the Republic of Venice fell to Austria in 1797 the new rulers outlawed both the carnival and mask wearing. The fascist government in the 1930s also forbade the celebration with religious roots.

Every year, the Venice Art Mask Factory in Albania’s Shkoder produces more than 20,000 hand-crafted masks, including 1,700 unique pieces this year alone, to be donned by carnival revellers from ...

A lion's share of the masks crafted this season were delivered across the Adriatic Sea to Venice, where this year's carnival was dedicated to Marco Polo -- one of the city's most iconic residents ...