Venice is again to become a "fantasy world" as the Carnival rolls back into town, reports Gulf News.
The annual and much-anticipated Venice Carnival returns to the City of Water, where some 30,000 people are expected to attend the various masked balls, resplendent in ornate masks and stunning costumes.
According to loginvenice.com, there is no better time to "engross yourself in Venetian culture" than this ten day-long extravaganza.
The most prestigious event is the star studded Il Ballo del Doge which was conceived and is run by costume maker/ entrepreneur, Antonia Sautter. To attend her ball, visitors must rent their costume from among the hundreds which Sautter herself has made.
Working year round, she produces over 400 unique outfits, each one painstakingly decorated by hand with beads, lace, ribbons and crystals. So highly regarded are Sautter's costumes, that she often receives requests for bespoke creations, at a cost of thousands of euros.
"My most elaborate costume, and on which proved a real challenge to create, was commissioned by an American industrialist's wife," Sautter reminisced. "It included more than 200 diamonds sewn onto the bodice."
The theme of Sautter's ball this year is 'Queensessence', which has inspired her to recreate costumes fit for Cleopatra, Marie Antoinette and Elizabeth I, transforming wearers into "goddesses".
Il Ballo de Doge is not the only masked ball that visitors can enjoy, with the Tiepolo and Mascheranda masquerade balls taking place on alternate nights.