The Corso took its name from a famous carnival in Rome
It is well known that Manly’s Corso was named by Henry Gilbert Smith, when planning his residential and recreational town, after the Via del Corso in Rome. But the question remains: why?
The Via del Corso was the site for the annual Carnival of Rome. This had commenced in the 10th century and was held immediately before Lent. Originally it consisted of games and tournaments at several locations.
In the mid-1400s, Pope Paul II had the main carnival celebrations moved to the street that his newly-built palace looked down on, Via Lata. The nature of this long straight street inspired the carnival attendees, which included the common people as well as the aristocracy, to dream up some bizarre competitions. Within a few years, there was an organised schedule of races.
The carnival ran for eleven days. The schedule was: first Monday, the Jews ran; Tuesday, Christian children; Wednesday, young Christians; Thursday, elderly people over 60; second Monday, donkeys; and on the second Tuesday, buffaloes.
To increase the level of excitement and danger, a race for riderless wild Barbary horses was soon introduced. This was held at sunset on all days of the carnival. It is these horse races that are usually given as the reason that the name of Via Lata was changed to Via del Corso, but the use of the street as a racecourse had certainly not been confined to horses.
Gradually the event took on a participatory carnival atmosphere and moved up-market. Attendees began dressing up and wearing masks, acting out fantasy roles. By the time of the Renaissance, the Roman Carnival was more famous than the Carnival of Venice.
Moving forward to 1855 when Henry Gilbert Smith was naming the streets in what was to become Manly, the Carnival of Rome on the Via del Corso was a popular annual event that attracted the rich and famous from all over Europe. In adopting the name Corso, Smith was showing a combination of foresight and ambition. He was hoping for a future for Manly that included both up-market residential development and sophisticated recreational entertainment.
Richard Michell is the vice-president of the Manly, Warringah and Pittwater Historical Society and the secretary of Friends of Dee Why Lagoon. Visit mwphs.org.au and fodyl.au