Giant floats depicting Putin and Obama seen in Viareggio’s carnival parade

Thousands of people celebrated the opening of the traditional carnival in the Italian town of Viareggio. This year the theatrical procession is dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the Kingdom of Italy and of the country’s unification.
The carnival staged along the beach in Viareggio is known as the funniest, most colorful and daring throughout the Apennines. For example, this year one of its floats was named “Barack-Abadra and the Great Circus of Fleas,” which, in addition to the U.S. president, featured Nicolas Sarkozy, Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel. Another float carried huge Silvio Berlusconi’s head, which would split open from time to time to expose a frightening skull.