Over one-hundred-thousand people crowded into Venice's St Mark's square to watch the famous Flight of the Angel, one of the main events of the city's carnival on Sunday.
The Flight of the Angel is an ancient Venetian tradition which dates back to the Serenissima Republic when an anonymous guest 'flew' from the bell tower to the center of the square using only a rope.
The celebration of the Carnival in Venice dates back to 1296 when the Serenissima Republic declared the last day of Lent to be a public holiday.
It reached the height of luxury and opulence during the Eighteenth century, but in 1797 the tradition died out due to the fall of the Serenissima Republic.
Not until 1979 did the city started to celebrate Carnival again.
The Venetian Carnival started on Saturday February 15th and will end on Tuesday 4 March. AP For more details, watch Rita Khoury's full report in the video above