Carnevale in Italy isn’t just about confetti, costumes and a last indulgence before Lent. It’s theatre. Satire. Social commentary, with a playful touch. Many of the country’s most famous maschere were born between the 16th and 18th centuries out of Commedia dell’Arte, the improvisational theatre that turned everyday people into exaggerated types: the miser, the trickster, the braggart, the know-it-all. Over time, these characters became inseparable from the places that shaped them.