The Carnevale Settembrino, the September carnival, is the masked festival with which Torri del Benaco sees the summer off. Not the carnival of February, but an early-September date: one Saturday of masks, games for younger children in the afternoon and fireworks to close the evening, with Molo De Paoli at the centre of the day. If you are looking for a reason to stop in Torri just as the season is ending, this is one of the simplest.
A carnival rooted in the Verona tradition
The Settembrino is not quite an ordinary village fete. It began in the 1990s and, after a break, has run steadily again since 2014. For years it brought the masked groups of the Verona carnival to Torri, along with the Court of Re Berengario, the “King of Italy without a Kingdom”, and the evening closed with the election of the sovereign on the harbour square. It is this link with the Veronese carnival that gives the day a character of its own: a town celebration with its own ceremony, rather than a parade and little else.
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How the day unfolds
The rhythm is built first for families, then for the town as a whole. In the afternoon the lakefront turns into a space for children, with inflatables, entertainment and face-painting. In the evening the masks take to the streets of the centre for the parade. Late at night you look up, as fireworks bring the festival to a close. If you decide to come, come in costume: it is in the spirit of the evening.
Torri del Benaco remains one of the most recognisable villages on the Verona shore, its Castello Scaligero standing over the harbour a short walk from the molo. Arriving a little early leaves you time for a walk along the lakefront before the celebration gets going. Torri sits on the road that follows the eastern shore, and on the evening of an event it is worth allowing a few extra minutes for parking near the centre.
2026 programme · updatable panel, time-sensitive data
- Date: Saturday 5 September 2026
- Where: Molo De Paoli, Torri del Benaco
- From 3pm — Children’s area with inflatables, entertainment and face-painting
- 8pm — Masked parade
- 10.30pm — Fireworks display
- Organised by: Pro Loco Torri del Benaco and Comune di Torri del Benaco
