A Very Italian Christmas - Five Traditions From Italy

Thinking of celebrating Christmas with an Italian twist this year? There are a number of ways that Italian celebrations differ from ours. Their Christmas season starts with a national holiday on 8th December, and finishes with the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th. Here are five of their most popular traditions:

L'Immacolata Concezione

The Italian Christmas season begins with a celebration of the Immaculate Conception (L'Immacolata Concezione) on 8th December. This is a national holiday in Italy with schools and offices closed across the country.


The Nativity Scene

Italian families traditionally recreate their own nativity scene in their home, alongside the Christmas tree. This usually features not only the stable and manger, but lots of farm animals and other figurines too. One important addition is left until midnight on Christmas Eve though - the baby Jesus.

Nativity Scene in Naples

Panettone & Pandoro

Forget Christmas pudding, these are the traditional cakes of Christmas in Italy. Huge in size and dry in texture, I can't honestly say I'm a huge fan. But who am I to argue with tradition? After all, we tuck into the equally questionable brussels sprouts and turkey every year over here.

Christmas Panettone

Christmas Eve Dinner & Midnight Mass

No meat is eaten on Christmas Eve in Italy, instead Italians tuck into fish, usually followed by a trip to Midnight Mass. Abstaining from red meat (and sometimes dairy) comes from the Catholic tradition of fasting the eve before a celebration. In Italian-American communities in the USA, this tradition has morphed into the 'Feast of the Seven Fishes,' in which seven or more different fishes are eaten on Christmas Eve.

Midnight Mass is another popular tradition, with many families heading down to their local church at midnight to take part. The Vatican also holds a Midnight Mass every Christmas Eve, however the event is so popular that they recommend booking (free) tickets 2 - 6 months in advance!


La Befana

La Befana is a kind, old witch who brings children presents on January 6th, the day of The Feast of the Epiphany.

The story of La Befana has its roots in Roman times, in which La Befana was seen as a Mother Nature-type figure who flew over the crops on New Years' Eve, in order to encourage a good yield the following year.

In the Christianised version, La Befana is an old lady who helps direct the Three Wise Men to baby Jesus in Bethlehem. However, despite their insistence, she turns down the offer to travel with them. She later regrets her decision and travels across the country to try and find them, giving sweets to little children along the way in the hope that one of them is the baby Jesus.

Nowadays, in an echo of modern Father Christmas, La Befana is said to come down the chimney via her broomstick. She leaves stockings  filled with sweets outside the bedrooms of good Italian children. Bad luck for any naughty children though - they receive only lumps of coal.

La Befana, the kind witch of Christmas

Isola del Giglio

You can find Isola del Giglio in the Tyrrhenian sea, ten miles from the Tuscan mainland. In 2012 this small, unassuming island shot into headlines around the world when the Costa Concordia capsized and sank off its coast. The wreck of the Concordia was a figure on the Giglian coastline for the next three years (and I took a very distant photograph of it here).  In 2014 the ship eventually completed a complicated re-flotation process and in its final days was towed to Genoa to be scrapped. The coast of Giglio is now unspoiled and serene once again, and this year I was lucky enough to visit the island itself.

Port of Giglio

Giglio only has 800 permanent inhabitants who stay throughout the winter, but in the summer the island comes alive under the scorching hot sun. The port is the first thing you'll have a wander around when you're fresh off the boat. It's a lovely, colourful hub of island life, full of ice cream shops, bars and pizzerias. 

Perched atop this rocky island is Giglio Castello, the only town on the island. It dates back to medieval times and is characterised by its fortress like walls. Today it is home to 500 of Giglio's permanent inhabitants.

The castello is only navigable by foot, being made up of paved narrow streets which are frequently adorned with potted plants, street art, and independent craft shops. Sitting as it does right on top of Giglio, the castello provides some spectacular views of the surrounding island and even the mainland in the distance.

The old lighthouse, facing Monte Argentario

Giglio Campese

We spent a lovely day in the sun exploring all Giglio has to offer, and then it was time to take the boat back to our own little corner of Tuscany, in Monte Argentario. 

Piscina at Cala Moresca (Giglio in distance)

Sunset over Isola Rossa

The sea here is also ideal for snorkeling and cliff jumping

I didn't think I would get the chance to come back here after my year living in Rome came to an end, so it was wonderful to be able to explore this part of Italy all over again. Now I am back on the grey, cold streets of London, busy saving for my next trip to Italian soil!

Rome: A City in 'Chronic Decline'?

Rubbish piling up in Trastevere (taken from The New York Times)

Rome has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons in recent weeks. The city is in 'chronic decline' according to The Telegraph and in need of 'urgent repair' due to a toxic combination of 'corruption, debt, poor administration and shabby infrastructure'. Similarly, American news website Reuters details the many problems besieging the city, stating that  'for generations, the Italian capital has rested on past glories rather than built on them.' Both articles cite the recent Mafia Capitale corruption scandal, the partial closure of Fiumincino airport due to a fire in May, and the continual plague of petty crimes such as pick-pocketing and litter piling up in the streets, to back-up their claims. Additionally The Independent recently featured an article about a rat infestation at the Trevi fountain, which is causing much embarrassment to local residents, one of whom described it as a 'shameful spectacle' visible not only to locals but 'to the eyes of the whole world.'

Rome's mayor Ignazio Marino is also not having a great week. Yesterday Wanted in Rome reported that he has been issued an 'ultimatum' by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who stated that he should concentrate on 'concrete issues' such as 'health and people’s problems' rather than 'political games'. If he is incapable of governing, Renzi added, he should 'go home.' This outburst comes among a surge in popular opinion that Marino is too 'honest' and 'naive' to deal with Rome's many problems. Carlo Bonini, an Italian journalist quoted in The New York Times summed up succinctly the conflict of feeling many Romans have about Marino, stating 'his virtue is also his main problem: he is not connected to all the rotten Roman relationships.'

However, a bit more research reveals that things are not all bad in the eternal city. Wanted in Rome points out that street art is continuing to be promoted as a way of rejuvenating neglected suburbs and that six more stations have opened up on Metro C. Additionally, the Pope has announced next year to be a special Holy Year dedicated to the 'mercy of God', and Rome has just launched a bid for the 2024 Olympics, which if successful hopes to award medals inside the Colosseum.

Every city has its problems, and some commentators have recommended an approach of 'zero tolerance' for Rome, similar to that which mayor Rudy Giuliani implemented in the 1990s in New York. This approach draws on the 'broken windows theory', that if minor violations are tolerated, much more serious crimes will flourish. It is hoped that a policy such as this, combined with rooting out corruption, and investing in infrastructure, will help Rome recover from its current bad fortune. Mr Tonielli, founder of the website Roma fa Schifo (Rome is disgusting) told The Telegraph: 'We need a complete change of mentality. New York in the nineties was very similar to how Rome is now – there was corruption, it was dirty, nobody paid when they travelled on the metro, there was graffiti.' However, even Mr Tonielli has not given up hope: 'It can be done. It is not irrecoverable.'

Roma, mi manchi

It is one month and ten days since I left Rome, and I am missing it A LOT.

So, with that in mind, here is a video of Dolce & Gabbana male models explaining Italian hand gestures to brighten up your day:

And, in the news today, the Italian teacher who set a different type of summer homework for his students.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-33061929

He wrote a 15 point list for his class, in which he encouraged them to watch the sunrise at least once, wander by the sea in contemplation, dream of how their life could be, and dance without fear of embarrassment because 'l'estate e una danza'.

Summer is here... (in Italy at least)

V for Venezia

The phrase, saving the best till last, certainly seems appropriate here. I'm nearly at the end of my year in Italy, and last week I finally got to visit one of the cities that's been top of my list for a very long time. Venice.

Famous for its Venetian masks, the birthplace of the legendary Marco Polo and Casanova, and its uniqueness as the city that's built on water, here are some more fun facts I've unearthed about Venezia:

• Venice dates back to the year 400, and was founded in its unique location out of necessity, due to barbarian invasions encroaching from land on the north and east
• Venice is made up of 118 islands connected by over 400 foot bridges
• Venice was not built directly onto these islands, but rather on wooden platforms entrenched in the sea bed by thousands of wooden piles
• 50,000 tourists visit Venice each day, almost dwarfing the number of true residents (60,000)
• Venice has 150 canals, the biggest is the S-shaped Grand Canal which flows through the centre of the city
• There are 400 gondoliers in Venice. Only 3 to 4 gondolier licences are issued annually. Applicants must pass a rigorous exam after extensive training on the geography of Venice's many canals. (I imagine it to be bit like London cabbies' the Knowledge, but on the water). 
• There are 3 ancient bridges over the Grand Canal: the Rialto, Accademia, and Scalzi
• Venice is sinking by 1-2 millilitres each year. Acqua alta (high water) is a problem for the city, especially in November and December. A big engineering project is currently under way to help prevent water from flooding the town.

Venice feels a little like a rabbit warren when you're walking around - the streets are narrow and seem to lead nowhere and everywhere all at once. My advice would be to ignore the signs, don't even try to not get lost, and just enjoy wandering and exploring. 

On one of the many footbridges

One of the many gondolas

There are no roads in Venice (obviously) and one of my favourite things was seeing tiny footbridges that just led to someone's front door. As well as private boats, 'parked' outside people's houses.

Venetian Masks

On our way to the Rialto bridge

We eventually stumbled upon San Marco's square (Venice is like a beautiful maze, which confusingly has signs for San Marco on literally every corner), and decided to visit the top of the tower which gave us an amazing view of the whole city. This was the only proper 'touristy' thing we did while we were there, and I can't recommend it enough. Try to avoid going up on a windy day though - it was freezing up there! Also, this is the only city tower I've been up in Italy where they not only have a lift - taking the stairs didn't even seem to be an option. It seems things really are more modernised up North.

San Marco's Square

And the view from above...

Everyone should visit Venice once in their lifetime. Yes, it can be incredibly crowded with tourists, especially from April onwards. Yet it is also incredibly beautiful, historic, and pretty amazing when you consider that a city literally built on the sea is still standing, (and looking great while doing it), over 1500 years later. 

Street Art & Graffiti in Rome

Rome is covered in street art and graffiti; just wander down any side street and you're sure to find something that will catch your eye. This is helped by a tradition amongst teenagers of scrawling messages of the heart across Rome's walls and buildings. Additionally, many shops here decorate their store shutters with a depiction of their particular services.

Here's some street art and graffiti I've found dotted around Rome that's made want to stop and take a picture:

Piazza Bologna

Monti

Trastevere

Trastevere

Orvieto

San Lorenzo

Monti

Via di Ripetta

Via di Ripetta

Piazza Bologna

San Lorenzo

Piazza Bologna

Piazza Bologna

Piazza Bologna

Piazza Bologna

Piazza Bologna

Piazza Bologna

Cornelia

Trastevere

Tiburtina