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 is celebrated throughout all of Italy, but in many regions in the North, such as Trentino, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Emilia and Veneto, children write a letter saying that they have been good and on the night between 12 and 13 December Saint Lucia visits homes on her donkey laden with gifts.
Children eagerly wait for the next morning, after having gone to sleep early in the fear that the Saint will blind them if she finds them awake, and they leave out a plate of food for both her and her donkey with hay, milk and carrots.
There are many more events that take place in Italy during the holiday season and to explore the flavour of an Italian holiday to the core, you must be there in the month of December. It is a good idea to hire a car and check out all the places and witness the festivities and also learn about the beliefs of people in various regions of Italy.
Car hire cannot get easier with lots of hiring options from Car Rental Italy. www.car-rental-italy.com has a spectrum of car rental packages to satiate the commuting needs of the tourists in Italy. They provide cars on hire at economical rates to tourists and renting a car is advisable for tourists as it gives them scope to explore the places on the go and cherish the essence of Italy to the fullest.