Italy’s traditional celebration during the New Year includes the tale of a white-haired witch known as La Befana who arrives on her broomstick during the night of January 5 and fills the stockings with toys and sweets for the good children and lumps of coal for the bad ones. According to the legend, Epiphany commemorates […]
Head to south of Sicily, Italy if you wish to find a place with loads of Italian Christmas traditions but and much milder weather. Next to the Neapolitans in terms of their fondness for the Nativity scene, Sicilians erect elaborate Nativities everywhere, from public squares to churches to private homes, including a living Nativity in […]
There are many religious people who like to practice a more faith based experience of Christmas which includes attending mass. Every year Saint Peter’s Basilica and Saint Peter’s Square are crowded by thousands of devotees and visitors from all over the world, for the Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, celebrated by the Pope himself. Saint […]
Centro Storico in Milan is full of life, with many things to see and do. In this area you will find the huge Piazza Duomo and Duomo Cathedral, the castle Castello Sforzesco, the world renowned opera house La Scala, and stunning shopping gallery, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. Also, just a few minutes’ walk away from Piazza […]
The Strada della Forra or the street of the Gorge is a mountain road nestled along the side of the mountain by Lake Garda, burrowing through the ravine formed by the river Brasa, and climbing the steep hills up to Tremosine. This legendary road is located in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy, on the […]
The patron saint of sight and almost always depicted with her gouged-out eyes on a plate, Saint Lucia was celebrated on the day of the winter solstice, 21 December, until 1580, when the modern calendar was introduced. Even now Lucia’s saint’s day is still defined as “the shortest day”. The religious cult of the saint […]
The Campo dei Fiori in the Parione district is one of the jewels of Rome. In the morning it’s a bustling marketplace, which transforms into a nightlife centre in the evening – all amid a beautiful setting steeped with history. Campo dei Fiori is a bustling piazza in Rome that draws locals and visitors, day […]
Winter season in Italy is usually a lively, bustling time. Christmas doesn’t dominate the entire season in Italy as it does in some other countries, but December does have a festive feel, with Christmas markets in many towns. One of the most striking features of Christmas in Italy is the presepe. Presepi are ornamental nativity […]
Famed the world over for its truffles and elegant wines, Alba is the foodie capital of Piedmont – a region that itself lays claim to being the gastronomic heartland of Italy. Alba is a classic regional Piedmont town. Much of the essence of Alba can be experienced walking down Via Vittorio Emanuele and Via Cavour […]