Carnival season starts in Italy

Carnival season has started in the northern Tuscan town of Viareggio, some 400 kilometers northwest of Rome. And that means a big parade.

The floats take a year to construct and are tens of meters high, often weighing as much as 40 tons. Chinese elements were on display Sunday -- Peking opera masks and a red dragon.

Carnival season has started in the northern Tuscan town of Viareggio, some 400 kilometers northwest of Rome.

The paper-maché characters poked fun at politicians. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was followed by a series of young girls.

And US president Barack Obama was rendered as Superman. Thousands of people took part in the procession.

More fun will follow, as masked balls and parties have been organized during the entire Carnival period, which runs until the end of February.