Carnival-goers in Venice are being asked by police to momentarily lift their masks as part of new anti-terrorism measures for the annual festivities.

Police are also examining backpacks and bags and using metal-detecting wands before revellers are allowed into St. Mark's Square, the heart of the Venetian carnival.

Today's main crowd-pleaser known as the Flight of the Angel went off without a hitch. In that event, a costumed young woman, attached by wires, "flies" over the crowd, starting from St. Mark's bell tower and gradually descending to the square.