I have received many questions from home regarding the protest that happened in Vicenza over the weekend. Click here for more on the protest. There was a notice posted at school that warned Americans not to venture into the city of Vicenza and I was not planning on it so my plans stayed the same. I had a quiet weekend in Florence. Sunday my friend Colleen came over and said there was a parade going on. So we walked out to the Piazza De la Republica (about a minute away from my apartment) and made it just in time for the start of the parade that lasted for at least a half an hour. I asked around and the parade related to Carnevale. Children were dressed up just like they do for Halloween in America and threw confetti at everybody. I have been seeing children dressed up like this for the last couple of weeks in honor of Carnevale but this was by far the greatest number I have seen at once. The children were either watching the parade or in it. The groups that went by represented many nations ranging from Sweden to Peru to China. Most participants dressed in traditional wear and there was normally traditional music accompanied with each group. So no need to worry at home, Florence had no protests and I felt no different in the city, but I did get to watch an amazing parade that topped off my weekend.

CLICK HERE FOR A GLIMPSE OF THE PARADE.mov