Italians look forward to Carnevale. Not people to be staid and undemonstrative under normal circumstances, Italians let it all hang out at Carnevale. In Ascoli, this is an entire community coming out with a ‘no-holds-barred’ opportunity to lampoon anything and anybody – especially politicians and the church.

It is a time of exuberant merry making, however, it is not fueled by excess alcohol. It seems here, being intoxicated is frowned upon to the point of derision. The Italians don’t seem to need to get ‘loosened up’ on booze to have a fun time, they seem to come by it naturally. And then, as in most social settings, this is an all age group, community-wide fun experience.