Set under the arcades of the Procuratie Nuove in St. Mark’s Square, Venice, Caffè Florian may rightfully claim to be one of the city’s symbols. Opened on December 29th 1720 by Floriano Francesconi under the name Venezia Trionfante, or Triumphant Venice, it soon became known by its patrons as “Florian’s”, the most famous “bottega da caffè” of the day frequent by important people as D’annunzio, Goldoni or Casanova. Nowadays it is the place to go and meet during the Carnival.Here, the stunning colours of the masks and costumes mix with the joyous chatter of people from all over the world.