January 24, 2008

Europe | Italy | Venice

How to Get a Fake ID in Venice

By Nicole Cotroneo

The Hilton Molino Stucky has your key to the city's biggest party: your very own Carnival concierge.

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Masked faces. Dark, winding alleyways. Venetian Carnival may be the most mysterious of the world’s pre-Lent celebrations — but that doesn’t mean you have to be an outsider looking in. Your key is a dedicated “Carnival Consultant” at the Hilton Molino Stucky, an elegantly converted 19th-century flour mill on Giudecca Island. Consultant Catherine Buyse Dian is not only a native Venetian, she’s a veteran hand at styling Hollywood’s A-listers — including the late Heath Ledger in Casanova. Starting tomorrow — the first in a dozen days of Carnival events — Ms. Dian will be the fairy godmother to your dress-up fantasies, transforming you into an elaborately masked, 18th century aristocrat. And once you’ve assumed this new “identity” (Giacomo!), the Stucky will keep it on file so that whenever you’re in costume the staff will only address you by your aristocratic name. Ms. Dian’s consultation begins at $435 — but don’t put your wallet away just yet: The Stucky can also arrange your participation in high-profile parades and high-priced masquerades. Carnival’s most exclusive and extravagant party is the Ballo del Doge, February 2, inside a 15th-century palazzo right on the Grand Canal. But like most things in Venetian Carnival, ticket information is elusive.