Torchlight Procession of Carnival of Fiumalbo

The torchlight procession that has lit up Fiumalbo for five centuries

In the heart of the Modenese Apennines, nestled between streams and a short walk from Monte Cimone, the village of Fiumalbo (Province of Modena, Emilia-Romagna) preserves one of the oldest and most evocative Carnival traditions in Italy. Every Shrove Tuesday, as evening falls, the small town transforms into a river of flames: it is the Carnival Torchlight Procession, a rite passed down for over five hundred years that spectacularly closes the Carnival period.

A Ducal Concession from 1512

The history of this torchlight procession dates back to 1512, when Duke Alfonso I d'Este granted the inhabitants of Fiumalbo the sole privilege of celebrating Carnival in disguise, at a time when such festivities were prohibited elsewhere. Legend has it that the Duke, visiting the village, tested the loyalty of the Fiumalbo residents by speaking ill of himself: the indignant reaction of the villagers, who were almost ready to lynch him, convinced him of their loyalty and earned them this special concession in return. Since then, the community has never stopped celebrating the occasion.

Birch and Alder Torches and the Great Bonfire

The heart of the event is the procession of torches. They are made with birch or alder wood, topped with rolled-up rags soaked in oil, and participants compete to create the largest torch. The procession starts from the Seminary area and winds through the historic center to the confluence of the two streams: here, all the torches are thrown into a large bonfire, symbolizing the end of Carnival and the beginning of Lent. According to the re-enactment, the procession is led by the figures of Duke Alfonso I and his consort Lucrezia Borgia.

A Carnival of History and the Upside-Down World

The torchlight procession is part of the broader Carnival program in Fiumalbo, which in recent years has also included the "El Mondo alla Rinverscia" (the upside-down world) parade, where roles, hierarchies, and daily actions are reversed, as in the best medieval Carnival tradition. For visitors to the Modenese Apennines, witnessing the torchlight procession means immersing themselves in an authentic village that has managed to preserve its identity and collective memory intact.