We think you will really enjoy this video of La Befana (Italy’s Christmas witch) through the eyes of a child, produced by our friends at Walks of Italy. When you’re finished watching, check out our article on La Befana in Rome and the guest article on Christmas markets in Italy by our friends from Walks of Italy.
Spend Christmas in Italy with These Hotel Packages
Hotels throughout Italy realize what a special experience it is to spend Christmas in Italy where frankly, the holiday remains more authentic and family-oriented than in the United States. If you’re plotting an Italian Christmas vacation, here are some special places to spend the holiday: Two Amalfi Coast hotels are offering packages that include a chance to experience age-old Italian artistery. One offers an …
See the Vatican Christmas Tree in St. Peter’s Square
The Ukraine has donated a 100-foot Christmas tree to be displayed in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City this holiday season. The gigantic spruce tree will be lifted into position on December 5th and lit during a ceremony on December 16th. It is expected to be decorated with more than 2,500 ornaments and numerous white and yellow lights. Along with the Christmas tree, …
Join #italychat to Talk About Archaeology in Italy
Dream of Italy (@dreamofitaly) will be hosting another #italychat on Twitter, this Wednesday, April 20th at 3 p.m. ET. The topic will be archaeological ruins in Italy (especially which ones to visit and new discoveries travelers should know about) and our special guest will be Darius Arya, a.k.a @saverome on Twitter. Based in Rome, Darius Arya is an archaeologist, professor, …
The Language of the Italian Holidays
For our free, downloadable Christmas in Italy guide, Dianne Hales, author of La Bella Lingua: My Love Affair with Italian, The World’s Most Enchanting Language, writes about the language of the Italian holiday season. Here are a few excerpts: Days of Celebrations Festivities such as fairs and torchlight processions begin weeks before and continue weeks after December 25. Here …
Christmas in Rome: Museum Devoted to Nativity Scenes
Italians are crazy about presepi (Nativity scenes) – almost every Italian home is sure to have at least one if not more on display during the Christmas holidays. If you’d like to see a variety of these small works of art, visit Rome’s Museo del Presepio, run by the Italian Association of Friends of the Nativity, which was founded in …
Where to Attend Christmas Mass (in English) in Rome
If you didn’t plan far enough ahead to get tickets to Midnight Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, there are plenty of other places to attend Christmas mass in Rome – after all the city has hundreds of churches. Our writer in Rome, Frances Kidd, reports the following churches usually hold English-language services during the Christmas season. You …