Many a Mardi Gras I have sported my green, purple and gold plastic beads, pinned a little jewelry mask to my blouse and actually craved pancakes.

This year, Mardi Gras might have gone unnoticed, except that many of the sidewalks in Rome are speckled with colorful paper streamers and confetti.

Some neighborhoods in Rome got an early start on celebrating last Thursday. In Trastevere, near the church of Santa Maria, school children left school that afternoon wearing costumes and carrying bags of confetti in what looked like a cross between Halloween and New Year’s Eve.

Many of the shops are selling colorful masks, perhaps not as ornate as what you might find at Carnevale in Venice.

Not sure how the night scene is over here. It might be like the D.C. area, with restaurants and bars being a draw for celebration, or even neighborhood parades, like the one in the Clarendon section of Arlington.

For me, it’s back to one of our favorite restaurants in Rome -- Taverna Giulia -- likely for some pasta with artichokes. The pancakes will have to wait about 40 days.

THIS JUST IN!

While sitting in the hotel room working on last-minute photo captions and writing today’s blog – while wondering what photo I could use with my blog -- I heard loud rumbling outside. It sounded close as it echoed off adjacent buildings, but also off in the distance.

Grabbing my camera, I dashed down the four flights of stairs and out onto the street. Just past Castel Sant’Angelo, across the Tiber from the Vatican, fireworks lit up the night sky. It was 8 p.m. and I had my answer on how Rome celebrates Mardi Gras, with impianti del fuoco. Who needs pancakes!