PIESPORT, Germany — Dressed in a garish blue and silver carnival costume with a glittering hat and white tights, Senior Airman Vito Cipolla looks slightly uncomfortable.

Battling to keep the tall collar of his shiny cape from flopping backward, he grimaces at what becomes a recurring wardrobe malfunction hours before the big festival, part of Fasching, the German version of Mardi Gras. Beads of sweat form on his face.

Cipolla, from northern Michigan, revels in the opportunity to wear the heavy outfit because he knows what it means.

“It’s not often that anyone, let alone an American, gets the opportunity to do something like this,” said Cipolla, who joined the Air Force five years ago. “That’s why it’s an honor to be a part of this.”

Most days, the 28-year-old wears a military uniform and serves as a pharmaceutical technician at Spangdahlem Air Base, but for carnival weekend he proudly wore the traditional costume and served as the Prince of Piesport. It is one of the most coveted titles of the town’s festival, and he is the first American to ever receive the honor along with receiving the keys to the city.

“When you’re going to be prince, you must be 30 years in the club,” said Christiane Horsch, mayor of the region, which includes Piesport. “But he’s not complicated. He’s an easy, charming boy always laughing. And the people, they love him.”

As prince, he is one of the most important figures of the village’s uniquely German tradition. He represents the town at the various weekend events and helps lead the festivities, including a parade.

But he didn’t receive the title by chance, or as some sort of symbolic goodwill gesture. Villagers are quick to point out how Cipolla earned the honor for everything he has done for the community.

And he has done a lot.

Since he made Piesport his home about two years ago, the outgoing Cipolla learned German and quickly become one of its most popular and well-known residents. He has immersed himself in the fabric of the local culture and the town, from serving on the volunteer fire department to participating in the village’s song and dance revue troupe.

How he arrived in this idyllic wine town on the Mosel River and what he has done since is a story seemingly authored by the hand of fate.

As soon as he set foot in Piesport about two years ago, Cipolla knew he found a home.

But his connection with the town goes back years ago to when he was a boy. His parents drank Piesport wine on their wedding day. They liked it so much they ordered cases of it directly from Germany.

The bottle was a familiar sight on the Cipolla family dinner table, and he never forgot the beautiful painting of the town on the label of one of their favorite brands. So when he arrived in Germany for duty, he asked his sponsor if they could visit.

Piesport is only a 40-minute drive southeast of Spangdahlem, and the senior master sergeant took him to the village for lunch the day Cipolla arrived in Germany. It was winter at the time and the season colored the city gray and the vineyards brown, but he instantly became smitten by the quaint town and its narrow cobblestone streets.

“I looked down and I’m like, ‘I’m going to live there,’” he said. “That’s my paradise.”

He asked a resident if he knew of any vacant apartments.

As luck would have it, the man knew of a place in the historic section of town with balconies offering lovely views of the river.

He took it that day, landing one of the most beautiful flats in the heart of town hours after his arrival in country.

That might be enough for some Americans, but Cipolla, who dabbles in archaeology in his spare time and collects art from master painters such as Picasso as a hobby, is hardly typical or ordinary.

He wasted little time getting to know his neighbors. Instead of putting a TV in his place, he focused on learning German. It took him about five months with the help of children’s books and his neighbors. Today, he speaks it so well the local dialect and slang roll off his tongue almost effortlessly.

“Because of the wine, we have a pretty happy population here and he fits right in to the region,” Piesport Mayor Karl Heinz Knodt said.

His many philanthropic endeavors helped quickly make a name for himself, and it wasn’t long before people around town began recognizing him or talking glowingly about him. He helped restore one of the area’s historic churches along with some base volunteers. He rounded up airmen to help harvest grapes in the vineyard of an elderly widow.

He joined the local theatrical group in town, playing — of all parts — the “medicine man” in their most recent production. In addition to joining the 100-member carnival club, he is a part of the town’s rifle club. He also has put his heart and soul into learning the fine art of winemaking from a local master winemaker.

His fiancee, from a nearby town, served as Piesport’s princess for carnival this year.

It was perfect timing. He seized the carnival festival as a moment to ask her hand in marriage. In a very public proposal and a moment now added to local lore, he popped the question on Saturday in front of hundreds of revelers.

When he leaves the Air Force, he plans on staying. He bought a farmhouse in the area, and he intends to enroll in a German winemaking school to learn the trade. He already has made his first batch of wine just recently, sharing a bottle with his carnival comrades before the big festival.

“I’m just so proud to be here,” Cipolla said. “I’m proud to have these people as my family.”

And if he can be prince of Piesport in just two years, it is likely only a matter of time before he reigns as its king.

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