Lasagne di Carnevale is a traditional lasagna of Naples.
The dish is associated with Neapolitan cuisine and is eaten during Carnival, the pre-Lenten festival known in Italian as Carnevale. It is notably rich and elaborate rather than a minimal everyday pasta dish, reflecting the celebratory meals traditionally connected with religious festivals.
Neapolitan lasagna layers pasta with local sausage, small fried meatballs, hard-boiled eggs, ricotta, mozzarella, and Neapolitan ragù. That combination distinguishes it from the better-known northern Italian style associated with Bologna, where lasagne alla bolognese typically combines ragù, béchamel, and Parmesan.
The city association can cause confusion because lasagna has many regional forms across Italy. Palermo, Turin, and Milan each have distinctive food traditions, but they are not the city named in the traditional label “lasagne di Carnevale.” Another common mix-up is assuming all lasagna uses the same cheese or sauce: regional recipes differ substantially, and the Neapolitan version is especially notable for its ricotta, mozzarella, eggs, and meatballs.