Mardi Gras (In Italy, a

[Mark Harris]

Siobhan,

Thanks for posting the interesting info, but I'm having trouble
understand what you meant by your first statement:

In Italy, Mardi Gras, or carnival, as it was called (which is from the Latin
"carne vale,: or farewell to meat, indicating a period of fasting to follow)
was a much moer elaborate affair in Italy.  

If I take out the statement between commas, I get:

In Italy, Mardi Gras was a much moer elaborate affair in Italy.

Where was it more elaborate? In Italy? than in Italy? More elaborate than
where,
France?

Thanks.
  Stefan, the curious but confused.

I find the source of our word carnival particularly interesting.