Historic Carnival of Offida 2027where to stay near the Bove Finto and the Vlurd.

The Historic Carnival of Offida is one of the oldest traditions in Italy. Its origins are documented back to 1524 in the Statuta Ophydanorum, the town's statutes, which mention for the first time the day of holiday granted to the people for Shrove Thursday and the suspension of the administration of justice during Carnival week. 2027 will be the 503rd edition. Below: the official dates, exactly what happens, how to get there from San Benedetto del Tronto, and where it's best to stay.

Lu Bov' Fint · the run of the mock ox

It's the most recognisable moment of the Offida Carnival. A wooden frame draped in a red cloth, with two men beneath it playing the part of the "calf", runs through the narrow streets of the historic centre, chased by the masked crowd. The tradition is ancient — the first written record dates from the mid-nineteenth century, but the oral practice is thought to be older. Three versions on the same day: at 9:00 the one for children, at 10:00 the one for teenagers, and at 14:30 the main one for adults, which is also the most intense. The run is symbolic: it represents the last hunt before Lent, an agrarian legacy reworked in festive form.

The Vlurd · the lighting on Shrove Tuesday

The true climax of the Offida Carnival is the lighting of the Vlurd — bundles of dried reeds tied together, set alight and carried on the shoulder through the streets of the centre on the evening of Shrove Tuesday. In 2027 it falls on Tuesday 9 February. The lighting takes place at 19:00 in Piazza del Popolo, as part of the «Maschere in Festa» evening. The bearers (traditionally men of Offida, dressed in white) make their way through the medieval village amid music, crowds and masks. Fire is the protagonist — a symbol of purification, the end of winter, the end of Carnival. For anyone going for the first time: it's thrilling, thick with smoke in the narrow streets, intense. Not a sanitised tourist event — a living tradition of a village that has always done things this way.

The congreghe · the life of the Sundays

Over the five Carnival Sundays (from the second half of January up to Shrove Tuesday) the village comes alive with the congreghe: groups of fellow villagers in masks who roam the streets singing, dancing and joking with passers-by. This is the everyday side of the Offida Carnival, less spectacular than the Bove Finto and the Vlurd but more immersive — here you really feel that the Carnival belongs to the people who live in Offida all year round.

How to get to Offida from the house

Offida is 25 kilometres from San Benedetto, roughly 40–50 minutes by car depending on traffic. The easiest route is the SS81 Piceno Aprutina from the coast as far as Castel di Lama, then the SP6 towards Offida. There's no direct train line — only shuttles or local buses that vary by season; the car is best, your own or one hired at the SBT station.

What to bring

• ·Warm clothes: Offida is up in the hills (293 m above sea level), and in February it's usually four to six degrees colder than on the coast, especially on the evening of the Vlurd;
• ·Comfortable shoes for walking on old stone — the historic centre is uphill, cobbled, slippery in the rain;
• ·A light waterproof jacket even on apparently fine days: the Piceno winter weather can change within a few hours;
• ·A camera with the flash switched off for the Vlurd — it's a living tradition, not a performance, and repeated flashes disturb the bearers;
• ·Water and a few snacks: the village empties of open businesses during the high points of the events.

Where to eat in Offida

The osterie of the historic centre open for the Carnival and serve the dishes of the Piceno tradition — Olive all'Ascolana (of which Offida is one of the historic homes, alongside Ascoli), Funghetto (a local sweet typical of Carnival, made with sambuca), Marche cured meats, lamb, and Rosso Piceno Superiore DOCG wine (a denomination centred on Offida). Book at least a week ahead for the big days — tables are limited and every Offidano goes out to eat on the festival days.

Staying at La Tana rather than in Offida

Finding somewhere to stay inside Offida during the Carnival is almost impossible: the village has few places to stay, booked year after year well in advance by the same devotees. Fifty minutes more by car, and you sleep in a house with 110 m² of enclosed garden, restaurants open late in San Benedetto, and the next day you're a step from the sea to walk off the celebrations along the Molo Sud. On the evening of the Vlurd, after the lighting, the drive back to the coast is generally smooth — the outbound traffic spreads towards Ascoli and SBT at the same time, and within an hour you're home.

What there is to see in Offida outside Carnival

If the day of the Bove Finto or the Vlurd is what brings you to Offida, it's worth setting aside the day before or after as well to explore the village without the crowds. Three things you really should see:

• ·Bobbin lace — Offida is one of the Italian capitals of this craft. The Lace Museum in Piazza del Popolo holds pieces of great value and hosts weaving demonstrations;
• ·The Church of Santa Maria della Rocca — a twelfth-century Romanesque-Gothic basilica, in a panoramic spot outside the centre, with fourteenth-century frescoes attributed to the school of Giotto;
• ·The wineries of Offida and Ripatransone — Cocci Grifoni, San Filippo, Tenuta Cocci Grifoni in Offida; Cantina dei Colli Ripani in Ripatransone (our favourite — a historic local cooperative dating from 1969). Visits by appointment, especially in low season when the owners have time.

Why it's worth coming

The Historic Carnival of Offida isn't an event for tourists: it's a tradition the Offidani keep for themselves, as they have for 503 years, and they good-naturedly tolerate those who come from outside to watch it. For anyone after a real Carnival — not Venice with its ready-to-wear Venetian masks, not Viareggio with its grand floats, but something smaller, older, more of a village — this is one of the places where you can still find it. An evening of the Vlurd in Piazza del Popolo in Offida is something you'll talk about for years.