Floats, masks and streamers: Carnival has started! In every part of Pisa province great spectacular défilés and festivities come to life and each town puts in its own initiative to Carnival time. The oldest in the whole province is the Carnival of Santa Croce sull’Arno and it dates back to more than a century ago. In some towns, the traditional défilé of allegorical floats and the mask parade routes are flanked with rites and traditions tied back to the past and to the culture of these places. The grotesque floats, which are more or less well cared for and rather artistic, are the result of work stretching over a number of months before the festivity performed through the constant commitment of clever handicraftsmen and masters of colour.