Annual carnival keeps Italian culture alive.

Byline: KEN HAGGERTY Correspondent

For Carl Sellitti, the event is as demanding as it is worthwhile. Having organized the first carnival in the late '80s, he has been at the helm since.

"All those years ago the Italian American Club of Venice simply felt Venice was ready for some Italian heritage," he said. "We started small and gradually grew to this size. But every year the challenge has always been to raise money for the high school and charities of Venice."

Having lived in Venice for 40 years, Jim Rondinone has witnessed many changes to the event as well as watched it grow in popularity. "I remember when the festival was originally on a piece of …