This is the first in a series of brief posts from my vacation. Expect fewer words, more pictures, throughout March.

Ascoli Piceno’s Carnevale is not “elegant” like Venice, but more about social satire. Prizes are awarded for best solo, up-to-3-person team, and large groups. A large team of Barbies marched with their “social media manager”, each box with a pro-feminist slogan on their box. A good idea, well-executed–the parade equivalent of “true stories, well told.”

• Sarah White