Carnevale is underway in Italy, and in Sicily that means the towns of Acireale and Sciacca are throwing big parties. The main festivities are this coming weekend, leading up to next Tuesday’s finale. This photo is from 2017, when I was fortunate enough to be dancing in the streets with all of the other revelers. No joke: I’m still finding confetti once in a while among my things, and I’ve moved twice since being blasted with the stuff! It gets into everything!

Meanwhile, this animated Zeus float still amazes me. The papier mâchè ensemble moved his head, rolled his eyes, and lifted his flashing thunderbolts. The townspeople of Acireale spend months planning and creating floats to enter into the annual showcase. Competition among the float teams is fierce. Along with the onlookers costumes, the live music, and the vendors, the entire days-long festival is quite a sight to see!