Colorful Venetian theater masks are available throughout the “City of Canals” in retail and souvenir stores plus outdoor kiosks. Many of them are works of art. Interestingly, these masks were outlawed when the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia seized the city in 1797. However, in 1979, they were reintroduced by college students who wanted to turn a quick buck. Now they are extremely popular with tourists and are again part of the annual Venetian Carnival celebration.
