Photo: Venetian Masks Market Stalls Venice

Venetian masks on sale at the market stalls along the Riva degli Schiavoni in Venice, Italy.

Tourists love to look at the different Venetian masks that are on display at the market stalls along the promenade in Venice, Italy. Venetian masks were used during the Venetian Republic time and have been worn all over the world in past years.

In Venice, Italy, masks were worn to hide each persons true identity so that everybody was considered to be on the same level. Servants were treated the same as a nobleman and a nobleman was treated the same as a servant until the wearing of masks became a problem that could not be controlled. Eventually, wearing Venetian masks on a day to day basis was banned and was only allowed for certain festivities.

Today, people that buy Venetian masks at the market stalls along the Riva degli Schiavoni use them as a decorative piece or to be part of a Halloween costume. The carnival of Venice in Italy is a yearly event where you can see an assortment of Venetian masks worn by the crowds that attend the carnival.

All the Venetian masks are handmade from either leather or papier-mache. The masks were once a very simple design and each one was representative of something relating to past years. The ones sold at the market stalls in Venice, Italy are simply created for decorative purposes and have lost their true meaning from the original Venetian masks.

The Riva degli Schiavoni in Venice looks out over the water and is the most popular place for tourists while traveling through this part of Italy. It is crowded with people looking for souvenirs and vendors selling an assortment of goods like these Venetian masks.

Venetian Masks in market stalls along the Riva degli Schiavoni in Venice, Veneto, Italy, Europe.