Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday and Carnevale Venice Oh my!

Yes! You heard it. If you’ve been following me you knew I was excited about Mardi Gras. Which is also the same day as Fat Tuesday and Carnevale in Venice, Italy.

Why is a simple country girl like me interested this day? Well, let me tell you something. Growing up in a small country town, I knew nothing about this fantastic day of gluttony. It was when I moved to Italy that I simply found myself in the center of all the action.

I know this sounds absurd, but honestly it is the truth. I moved to Italy without any knowledge of the language. I had no cell phone, no home phone, no television, no computer and I lived among Italians. Crazy!

That being said, you might presume I made friends with many locals. Ha-ha-ha, if you think that, then you really don’t understand Italians. The town I lived in was nested under the mountains away from the modern city. Most of the locals are just that locals. They have lived in that town or area for all their lives. They have no interest in meeting in new comers, especially one as silly as me.

What did I do during my down time in Italy if I had no knowledge of the events around me? Easy, my family and I would jump in the car and drive. We would drive to another small town to walk around, go to market, shop, eat and enjoy the simple life. One Saturday we arrived in a small town that had a small parade with people dressed for Carnevale. The costumes were mesmerizing. I could not take my eyes off the elaborate fabrics, the hats adorned with feathers and the face masks covered in metallic paints and rhinestone gems.

Since moving back to the states I have lost many pictures of Italy, but I still have these simple three images of that special day which hooked me to Carnevale.

I am grateful I got to get swept away in the celebration, but I regret I never got to attend Carnevale in Venice. I guess this mean I just have to visit Venice again. This time to celebrate Carnevale like the Venetians do in Saint Mark’s Square/ Piazza San Maro , Italy. Until then, I will follow my friend Rossi who , still lives and writes in Italy. Rossi is a fabulous blogger that writes from the soul of any outsider living among Italians. Her beautiful images and wonderful tales scoop you away from your worries and nestle your mind into Tuscan, Italy without the sacrifice of your wallet.