If I had to sum up the city of Viareggio, it would be that it was full of energy and beautiful. Never have I been to a beach where snow capped mountains line the horizon.
A train ride away, Viareggio is located on the coast of Italy, just west of Florence. A beach town, which of course is my happy place. With palm trees lining the medians and restaurants bordering the beach, everywhere you look there's something new. It was a warmer day and the sun was FINALLY out, so I soaked up every bit of it.
We checked out the best places to eat in Viareggio and "La Barchina" was a highly rated fish & chips restaurant. The seafood turned out to be as fresh as it could get, being a food "truck" out of a boat. The line was long, which we assumed meant it was delicious. The calamari, shrimp, and fries did not disappoint and were a nice change from all the pasta and pizza of Italy.
I discovered Viareggio when I was exploring the map around Florence. The more research I did, I learned that Carnival (the weeks leading up to lent, which Venice is known for) is one of the biggest events each year in Viareggio, and also famous throughout Europe. EVERYONE dresses up for Carnival, from kids to grandmas, coordinated outfits to funky wigs, there wasn't a single person who was not wearing something crazy (except for us). We planned to go on a day of the famous parade, which displays ginormous floats made from paper mâché. Many of the floats have parts that move, which are hand pulled with ropes connected to each part. These floats take months to make and were intriguing to watch. Once the parade started, it was incredible to see music blasting, the floats moving, and everyone dancing. However, what we didn't realize is how the parade is a political and social satire. Almost all of the floats displayed some sort of political idea, and represented different countries. Many of the floats included Donald Trump and North Korea's, Kim Jong-un. Floats read "la guerra e' un gioco" meaning "the war is a game" and "a che ora e' la fine del mondo" meaning "at what time will the world end". The excitement of the parade quickly left us feeling uneasy, being the only Americans in sight, we weren't sure what they were depicting toward America. In the end, it was quite the experience, something I would highly recommend (especially celebrating Carnival here, instead of Venice).
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