The Count of Monte Cristo

Carnival Tuesday Races and Moccoli Celebrations

On the final, most chaotic day of Carnival, Franz and Albert join the raucous street festivities, exchanging confetti with other carriages and pedestrians without any incidents. At 3pm, fireworks signal the start of the traditional horse races on the Corso: after a detachment of carbineers clears the street, a group of barberi horses race past at lightning speed, with the winning horse announced by cannon fire from the Castle of Saint Angelo. After the races, the crowd moves on to the moccoli tradition, where participants buy small candles and compete to keep their own lit while extinguishing others’ candles, creating a dazzling scene of 50,000 flickering lights filling the streets for two hours. At the appointed 7pm time, Albert exits their carriage in the Via dei Pontefici, carrying his lit moccolo, and fights off masks trying to extinguish it as he heads toward the church of San Giacomo to meet his mysterious admirer.

第三十六章 The Carnival at Rome

This chapter, titled Chapter 36. The Carnival at Rome, depicts the final moments of the Roman Carnival, following Franz as he observes Albert’s interaction with a masked peasant, the abrupt official end of the festivities, and the sudden, overwhelming darkness that leaves Franz isolated.

Masked Crowd on the Carnival Steps

The carnival steps are densely packed with masked revelers who compete to snatch one another’s torches. Franz keeps his gaze fixed on Albert as he mounts the first step of the crowded staircase.

Peasant Mask Snatches Albert’s Torch

Instantly, a mask wearing the well-known costume of a peasant woman snatches Albert’s moccoletto (carnival torch) from him without any resistance from Albert. Franz is too far away to hear their exchange, but sees no sign of hostility between the two.