In a few tiny towns across Italy they continue to celebrate carnevale, with the festivities ending this weekend. We just so happened to be in luck because our neighboring town of Apecchio keeps on partying long after Fat Tuesday!

This guy in particular was hysterical offering up homemade vin santo & rambling on & on, cracking himself up - we had no idea what he was saying & neither did anyone else (since he spoke in dialect & is from Naples) - but one thing is for sure, he was having a great time and he kept us all laughing!

We were at one particular party during all the carnevale festivities we were posted up at the food table - Jason was convinced they were asking eachother who are the fat American's who wouldn't stop eating? Ummm.. that would us! But isn't that why it's called fat Tuesday?!

Speaking of fat...one of my favorite traditions we've heard about is that the kids would go door to door (halloween style) and instead of filling their bags with sweets they filled them with meats! Seriously! Kids would be given pieces of fat or pork lard, an egg or a piece of sausage! Now that's a tradition I could really get on board with!

Lots of great costumes from the cute little princesses to the spooky & silly and almost all homemade!

The parade made its way through town & every few 'blocks' would stop & party in the street with the music pumpin (random 90's tunes - especially Shania Twain's "That Don't Impress Me Much" was on loop!), candy would be thrown from the floats for the kids & glasses of red wine passed around for us big kids! (Some towns toss flowers, oranges or even truffles into the crowd.)

And of course it wouldn't be a proper festival in Apecchio without the self-proclaimed drunk band!

Now we've gotta plan our costumes for next year....

Ashley Bartner is the Living in Italy Editor for Wandering Educators.

La Tavola Marche Agriturismo & Cooking Holiday

http://www.latavolamarche.com