Halloween as we know it in the US is not traditionally celebrated in Sicily. Today for children it is getting more popular, but really, Carnivale (or Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras, as we know it better) is the holiday when Italians dress in costume to conceal their identities and create lots of mischief. Carnivale is also when, in Acireale, Sicily, they create massive, beautifully crafted floats that celebrate the end of the colder months and inspire whimsical days before Lent and the start of the arduous summer planting season. For days in Acireale, they process these eye-catching and extraordinary works of moving art (For example, the float pictured, photographed by Experience Sicily’s Evelina Buttitta). 

This coming year, I hope to go to Carnivale in Acireale in partnership with You, Me & Sicily. Won’t you join me? We’ll have a fantastic time! A small-group is currently forming to tour from Feb. 25 – March 5, 2017. The itinerary includes home-cooked meals, visits to Siracusa, Ortigia, Taormina, Catania, and Etna, Europe’s largest, most active volcano. Additionally, there will be lots of relaxed time at the private villa near Aci Trezza. Contact me for more information at AllisonScola@ExperienceSicily.com.