Monday, December 12, 2011

Rome, Italy - Christmas in Rome

A beautiful Fendi belt wrapped around the Palazzo Fendi shop and headquarters
at the start of Via Condotti

Posing in front of a lovely tree in a piazza off of Via del Corso
A tree-lined (and crowded!) Via Condotti leading up to the famous Spanish Steps

Even the tops of traditional panettone cakes have a nativity scene

Christmas strufoli sweets in the window of the famous Il Fornaio in Campo dei Fiori

A massive tree in the lobby of the well known 5 star Grand Hotel de la Minerve

Everything you need to create your own nativity scene at the Christmas market stalls in Piazza Navona
Stunning ornaments for sale at the Christmas market in Piazza Navona
In Italian culture, the Befana visits all the children of Italy on the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany (January 5th) to fill their socks or an empty shoe with candy and presents if they are good, or a lump of coal or dark candy if they are bad. Being a good housekeeper, many say she will sweep the floor before she leaves. The child's family typically leaves a small glass of wine and a plate with a few morsels of food, often regional or local, for the Befana. She is usually portrayed as an old lady riding a broomstick through the air wearing a black shawl and is covered in soot because she enters the children's houses through the chimney.

Santa, la Befana and his reindeer pose for pictures in Piazza Navona


Statues of the Befana for sale in Piazza Navona
Illuminated Virgin Mary statues in every church prepare for the birth of baby Jesus
Pin It

1 comment:

  1. OO, this is so beautiful, I would like to be there, not exactly on Christmas, but maybe the week before...

    ReplyDelete