Italian Clubs, Events, Lifestyle; Travel Italy

If you happen to visit the major Italian art cities during the festivities, have a look to the following quick guide of things not to be missed.

In Venice, the Christmas market held in the historic square of Campo Santo Stefano. You’ll be able to buy craft-made Venetian products there as well as a variety of regional gastronomic delicacies from all Italian regions.

Not so far from Venice, In Verona — Romeo & Juliet city, you can visit the International Christmas Cribs Exhibition. This exhibition held at the Verona’s Arena, including more than 400 different representations of Nativity Scene from countries all over the world, runs through January 20.

In Rome, things not to be missed: the Presepe di Piazza San Pietro — the representation of the Nativity Scene in Vaticano, which is being set on the St. Peter Basilica parvis, in front of the obelisk and the Piazza Navona’s Christmas market. Piazza Navona is an ideal place to experience the flavour of the festivities in Rome.

In Florence: New year’s eve concert held in Piazza Santa Croce on December 31, New year’s day concert held at Teatro del Maggio Musicale on January 1st.

In Turin, A colourful Christmas market is held every year in the piazzas and gardens of Borgo Dora.

In Naples, the Chiaia district, where a Christmas village is being set up, is at the heart of the festivities.

Like any year, the medieval town of Gubbio, Umbria, lights its Christmas tree on December 8. It’s really something special; it is the the largest Christmas tree in the world.

Actually, it is not a tree, but 12 kilometres of extensive decorations illuminating all the way up the slopes of Mount Ingino and that give this towering mountain dominating Gubbio, a shape of Christmas tree.
So in the night you can see a huge Christmas tree dominating the city from more than 50 kilometres away. It has become one of the icons of Gubbio.

Where: Gubbio - Umbria (see on the map).

If you visit Italy in November or in December and look for seasonal food, you can’t miss chestnuts. You can taste roasted chestnuts all across the country; street vendors are everywhere, especially in the streets of art cities.

Better, you could accompany roasted chestnuts with “vino novello” (a kind of new wine; its season starts each year on November 6).

Also you can taste chestnuts dishes and delicacies in a number of gastronomic festivals taking place in Italy in this time (especially in the zones where chestnuts mostly grow, including Piedmont, Tuscany, Umbria, and Liguria).

If you would like to taste a very special sort of marrons glaces, in Rome you have the “fabbrica marrons glaces” (see website at www.marronglaces.it). The vendor of these baked chestnuts with sugar syrup is near tube station Lepanto, in via Paolo Emilio 67A, between via degli Scipioni and viale Giulio Cesare.